Want to hear a joke? OK. A cop, a corrections officer and a pastor — no, they don’t walk into a bar. They all get arrested by ICE and targeted for deportation. Now you might think this isn’t very funny, but that’s because you haven’t heard the punchline: they were removed in the name of keeping America safe! Seriously! What a knee-slapper! Because everyone knows that when it comes to public safety, the fewer cops, jail guards and religious leaders the better, am I right, folks? I’ll be here all week, try the veal.

Or here’s another one: knock knock! Who’s there? ICE. ICE who? We won’t tell you our name or provide identification. OK, do you have a warrant? Not that we’ll show you! How do I know you are a legitimate law enforcement agent whose instructions I should follow? I don’t know but we have guns, so you better get in this unmarked vehicle with us!

These things aren’t funny, but they are happening here. Maine hasn’t had as much immigration and customs enforcement as other states. That’s probably because we don’t have that many people and the ones we do have are 90% white. But enforcement, including targeting people who are here legally, who have done things the “right way,” and who have actively been making Maine a better place to live, is increasing.

Take Gratien Milandou-Wamba. Originally from the Republic of the Congo, he fled his home country after being tortured by the government over his connection to an opposition political party. (This used to be something America frowned upon, instead of finding it an inspirational idea.) He legally entered the country and applied for asylum, as is his legal right to do so. While waiting for his case to process (the system doesn’t have nearly enough judges), he got a legal work permit and began working as a corrections officer at the Cumberland County Jail.

Now, being a corrections officer is a hard job to fill. I once had a sheriff ask me if I would write a column about working in the jail in the hopes that it would inspire young people to apply for jobs there. Regardless of Gratien’s contributions, he was arrested by ICE in April on his way to work and has been in jail since. There’s been no public explanation about why, exactly, he was arrested. The best guess is it was his expired visa, even though he had a legal work permit, was waiting for his asylum case to process and was following the proper process.

He also filled out an application to purchase a firearm, which was denied — he never touched a gun, much less bought it; this may have brought him to the attention of the authorities. (No protests from members of the gun lobby, who blow their stack every time you mention maybe regulating weapons in any way shape or form because they believe nothing should stand in the way of a person buying a gun as quick as they can. The sacred Second Amendment only counts for white people, apparently.)

After he was arrested, he was fired from his job for “abandoning his post.” I’m glad I never ended up writing that article about how great working for jails is; I hate being made a liar.

Then there is the case of Jon-Luke Evans, originally from Jamaica, who was hired as a summer reserve officer by the Old Orchard Beach Police Department. (In the interest of honesty and full disclosure, Jean-Luc Picard is my favorite “Star Trek” captain, so I might be predisposed to like this guy.)

I worked near the pier in Old Orchard Beach for two summers in college (this would have been about 10 to 12 years ago now). I’m familiar with the summer scene there. The summer officers generally aren’t doing anything dramatic enough to qualify filming CSI: OOB, but given the massive influx of people, with the heat and the alcohol as complicating factors, you need quite a few steady hands on deck to keep things fun and safe for everyone. Jon-Luke was cleared by the police department to work, using the E-Verify system.

I’ve written about E-Verify before. It is a government system that checks if a person is legally allowed to work in the U.S., using records from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. I’m of the opinion that mandating its use and steeply fining employers who hire undocumented workers would go pretty far in fixing the issue of undocumented people working, but that’s for another column.

What’s important here is that the Old Orchard Beach department actually used E-Verify (the government’s own system!) to confirm that Jon-Luke Evans was legally permitted to work. The federal Department of Homeland Security then accused the police department of “reckless reliance” on DHS’ own system.

Finally, there is the case of the pastor, Michel Tshimankinda. Yes, his name includes the word “mankind” and if I was writing fiction, not an op-ed, my editor would probably make me take that part out for being too on the nose. He was taken by ICE on Aug. 14. He was a registered asylum seeker, proceeding through the legal system. He had a work permit and, according to his family, worked in health care as a lab technician. (In case you wonder why it takes so long to get test results, I guess we have to add “ICE arrest” to the list of delays).

Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that arresting these men has made our communities here in Maine any safer? Can you tell me with a straight spine that Americans are safer, wealthier and healthier tonight because these men are behind bars? Do you genuinely believe that America will be great again if these men are deported?