Immigration agents arrest farmworkers in Skowhegan

By Andy O’Brien

Immigrant rights groups report that agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested 17 farmworkers — including one U.S. citizen — during an early morning operation in Skowhegan on Feb. 10.

According to the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC), agents conducted the raid around 5 a.m., stopping a bus near housing for workers employed at Backyard Farms in nearby Madison. The incident was reported to the Maine Immigrant Defense Hotline at 7 a.m., prompting multiple organizations to begin responding to requests for legal assistance.

“We worry this may indicate the start of a new phase of enhanced enforcement activity in the state that began with the surge in January,” said Mufalo Chitam, executive director of MIRC. “Suddenly, disruptive enforcement actions in communities like Skowhegan leave families, workplaces, and communities in crisis.”

Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director of MIRC

Details of the operation

The Morning Sentinel reported that the operation lasted approximately 40 minutes and involved numerous agents and a low-flying helicopter.

Backyard Farms employees are housed at the former Kyes Motel in Skowhegan, and workers without personal vehicles are transported by bus to the company’s facility in Madison. Donn Poland, owner of the garage and bus service transporting the workers, told the Sentinel that the workers are in the United States on temporary agricultural H-2A visas.

In a statement, Backyard Farms said:

“We were advised that some contract workers did not arrive to our facility on Tuesday. They are not Backyard Farms employees. We are investigating the situation to gather additional information. As a company, Backyard Farms takes employment compliance seriously.”

Maine Officials Respond to Reported End of ICE “Enhanced Operations”

Broader enforcement context

The arrests follow a recent surge in operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maine that reportedly concluded Jan. 29, according to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. The surge resulted in more than 200 arrests out of approximately 1,400 targeted individuals statewide.

Collins noted that “ICE and Customs and Border Patrol will continue their normal operations” in the state.

MIRC said its hotline has recently received a growing number of calls from rural areas. The organization described the Skowhegan arrests as representing “an unprecedented scale of enforcement activity of this nature in Maine,” raising concerns for workers, families, and service providers.