The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed in an email that it began on Tuesday what it’s calling “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine, after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier told Fox News that it had arrested nearly 50 people so far.

Maine consistently ranks as one of the safest states, sporting the lowest rate of violent crime in the nation.

“These masked men with no regard for the rule of law are causing long-term damage to our state and to our country,” Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said on Wednesday.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday challenged federal immigration officials to provide arrest warrants, real-time arrest numbers and basic information about who is being detained in a sweeping enforcement operation in Maine, saying the state has been left largely in the dark as fear spreads through immigrant communities.

Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday challenged federal immigration officials to provide arrest warrants, real-time arrest numbers and basic information about who is being detained in a sweeping enforcement o...

“If they have warrants, show the warrants. In America, we don’t believe in secret arrests or secret police,” Gov. Janet Mills said at a news conference.