ICYMI: Secretary Bellows Faces MAGA Threat of Impeachment for Standing Up to ICE

New reporting shows MAGA Republican politicians in Augusta are asking for an impeachment hearing to be brought against the Maine Secretary of State because she stood up to a reckless and lawless Trump administration. She is the first statewide official nationally to face impeachment from Republicans after taking actions to stop ICE’s lawless behavior.

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Midcoast Villager: Maine GOP Proposed Impeaching Secretary of State Over ICE SnubAlex Seitz-Wald 02/04/26

• Maine Republican legislative leaders proposed impeaching Secretary of State Shenna Bellows over her decision in January to pause the issuance of undercover license plates ahead of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Maine, according to a letter obtained by the Midcoast Villager.

• The move appears to make Bellows the first statewide Democratic elected official to be threatened with impeachment over opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies in his second term.

• "A majority of Americans, regardless of party, believe that ICE’s actions are unacceptable and have gone too far," Bellows said in a statement to the Villager. "Despite the rhetoric to the contrary, we have all seen with our own eyes the atrocities that have occurred, including here in Maine. I made the decision to pause the issuance of new confidential plates out of deep concern that ICE’s actions violate the U.S. Constitution and the law."

• "It was not a decision made lightly. But where I saw the decision as a necessary one to protect Mainers’ lives, the Maine GOP saw it as yet another opportunity to spread lies and misinformation and instill fear," Bellows continued. "I won’t be intimidated. I will never back down from protecting our state and the Constitution.”