PORTLAND ––Business owners in Portland are making their objections to ICE operations in the city known this week, posting signs that clearly indicate federal agents are not welcome.
“It’s definitely something that we are proud of to support,” said Luis Arroyo, owner of Bay Bowls, a Brazilian take-out restaurant on Washington Avenue.
Arroyo is a native of Puerto Rico, and has lived in the U.S. for the past 10 years. He said his adult son goes to college, and said one of his friends had to run away from ICE agents this week.
The experiences have led to him and his family speaking Spanish less often in public, but he said it shouldn’t be that way.
“It’s had a pretty direct effect on me, my kids,” he said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday the beginning of what it was calling “Operation Catch of the Day” in Lewiston and Portland.
The operation, according to a statement from the department, focused on “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities.”
The operation, according to Portland Mayor Mark Dion, members of the Portland City Council and the Portland School Department, has led to people being arrested in the street, along with attendance at Portland schools dropping due to parents being afraid to take their children to school.
A local artist created a free downloadable sign with “NO I.C.E.” in large letters. It also reads, “I.C.E. agents may not enter private areas without a judicial warrant. We do not consent to any searches without legal authority.”
Arroyo posted the sign almost immediately, as has a different business next door. He said the signs are all up and down Washington Avenue, which he finds reassuring.
“Seeing now in 2026 that people are, I would say, waking up to every situation that’s been happening definitely makes me less anxious,” he said.
The signs are closer to downtown, too. At least three signs were visible on Congress Street, just blocks from Monument Square. Harry Sultan, owner of the coffee shop Another Round, said the signs have been very popular.
“I know the flyer’s been downloaded in a lot of places,” he said.
Sultan said it was an easy decision to post the sign on the door to his business.
“Seeing that other businesses were trying to put their money where their mouth was and really kind of taking a stand, I felt like it would be inappropriate and wrong to not try to be a part of that.”
Sultan said he knew of some people who had been directly impacted by the ICE operations, but declined to discuss anything in detail. He did say that all his customers are talking about the issue.
“I think people are pretty nervous, people are pretty on edge,” he said.
Despite his concerns, Arroyo remained confident Wednesday that ICE operations, both in Maine and nationwide, won’t go on forever.
“I’m pretty confident that eventually it’s going to stop or go away,” he said.