Yes.

All of Maine falls under the jurisdiction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, because the entire state lies within 100 miles of the Canadian border, the Atlantic Ocean or both.

Within the “100-mile zone,” CBP agents and Border Patrol officers have heightened authority, but they have a more limited ability to make arrests and enforce immigration law outside the zone.

CBP, which was established to prevent unlawful entries, is distinct from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, which is tasked with immigration enforcement more broadly, though the two agencies have similar duties, often work together and are both part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In Maine, Border Patrol agents said they had already apprehended more people in the country illegally by May of this year than in all of 2024, while ICE arrests have increased 40% year-over-year, according to the Deportation Data Project.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Houlton Sector Maine
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Legal authority for the Border Patrol
• Associated Press: U.S. Border Patrol is increasingly seen far from the border as Trump ramps up deportation arrests
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: CBP History Timeline
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: History of ICE
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Border Patrol conducts targeted enforcement operations in Maine
• Deportation Data Project: Immigration and Customs Enforcement