ICE grew its Maine staff 44% over the past year

ICE increased its Maine staffing by 44% over the past year, according to reporting by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. The growth comes as the agency seeks to expand enforcement efforts tied to President Donald Trump’s deportation goals, including $50,000 bonuses for new recruits. Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said two employees were lured away last summer by ICE, and he described the bonuses as hard to match. ICE’s roster rose from an average of 34 employees annually over the previous decade to 52 people this fiscal year, which began in October, based on U.S. Office of Personnel Management figures. The report also highlights concerns about new-hire vetting, including a July 13 shooting by a newly recruited agent in Biddeford involving Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, who had no criminal history. ICE has made arrests largely without criminal convictions, the piece says, and lawmakers have struggled to get staffing details.