Number of ICE employees in Maine grew by 44% in a fiscal year, data shows
The number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees in Maine is on the rise, according to federal workforce data.
During the last decade, ICE had an average of 34 employees working in Maine. That number is up to 52, which is a 44% jump from last year, according to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
As the number of federal immigration employees grows in Maine, local law enforcement said they're struggling to compete. The sheriff of Maine's largest county is working to keep residents safe while understaffed.
"People expect the same service, same level of service, the same quality of service," said Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce.
Joyce said two of his employees have left to go work for ICE, leaving staff to work even harder.
"For the individuals that are working here, they have to pick up the slack left by the individuals moving on," Joyce said.
The Department of Homeland Security has an incentive for its employees that local law enforcement just can't beat: a $50,000 sign-on bonus.
"I think all of my colleagues, chiefs, sheriffs, were concerned that we can't even compete with that sign-on bonus," Joyce said.
The bonus is paying off. DHS announced in January that it more than doubled the number of officers and agents from 10,000 to 22,000.
A DHS spokesperson would not disclose where their officers are located, citing operational security reasons. They also say they've arrested what they call the worst of the worst in Maine.
“ICE agents uphold our nation’s immigration laws in all 50 states, seven days a week, 24 hours a day," a spokesperson for DHS said.
The increase in employees comes in the same year as Operation Catch of the Day and the death of Johan Sebastián Guerrero, who was killed by an ICE agent in July.
While the number of ICE employees has grown, the total number of DHS employees in Maine is actually down this year, with notable losses within TSA and the VA.