Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage is facing criticism after saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should prioritize gang members and criminals rather than long-term workers, following his revelation that a member of his extended family is being deported. Sadly for LePage, critics were also quick to point out how he supported the Trump administration’s immigration policies in the recent past, leading to more intense scrutiny.
LePage, also a Republican nominee for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, made the comments on Monday in Augusta after receiving an endorsement from the Maine Fraternal Order of Police. The event focused on law enforcement and public safety, but questions about immigration enforcement prompted the former governor to discuss his family’s situation.
According to LePage, his son’s father-in-law is being deported despite having a work permit. He argued that the man should be allowed to remain in the United States. “Not everybody that’s here is illegal,” LePage said. “My son’s wife’s dad is here legally, but he’s being deported because he came from a country that’s not of the certain liking of some people in Washington. That’s not right. He has a work permit. He should be allowed to stay.”
LePage acknowledged that people without legal immigration status have broken the law and said ICE has a responsibility to enforce existing immigration rules. However, he said he would not make long-term workers the agency’s primary target. “Would I go after everybody that’s here that have work permits and have been here for decades? Probably not,” he said, adding, “I’d probably go for the gang people and the criminals.”
LePage’s Remark Drew Backlash
The Republican candidate also criticized restrictions on cooperation between Maine law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. However, his critics grew more fixated on the ironic circumstance that his family is facing. LePage’s remarks quickly drew attention online, where critics questioned his position on immigration enforcement. Some accused him of objecting to deportations only after the policy affected someone in his own family.
“Nothing’s a problem until it happens to ME,” one Reddit user wrote. Another commenter mocked the distinction between legal workers and other immigrants, writing, “The only morally correct immigrant is my son’s father in law.” Others were more direct. “It’s all fine until they start hurting the ‘wrong’ people, huh Paul?” one person posted.
A separate commenter wrote, “But isn’t this what you wanted? They’re deporting immigrants, duh. You thought they somehow wouldn’t take the ‘good ones?’” According to data cited by WMTW from the Deportation Data Project, approximately 20 percent of 200 people detained by ICE in Maine had criminal convictions or pending charges. The figure became part of the wider discussion surrounding LePage’s call for enforcement priorities.
For LePage’s critics, that history is precisely why his latest comments have struck such a nerve. His family’s situation has put a deeply personal face on an immigration system he has previously supported taking a tougher approach toward, prompting questions over whether his views have changed now that someone close to him is facing deportation. For LePage, however, the distinction appears to be about priorities: targeting people he describes as gang members and criminals before long-term workers like his relative.
