ICYMI: Secretary Bellows Pauses Undercover License Plates for I.C.E.
Maine won’t distribute new confidential plates without assurances
they won’t be used for lawless purposes
Augusta – As rumors ramp up about a possible Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) action coming to Maine, the Secretary of State’s office has paused issuing undercover plates to ICE following their unconstitutional actions in Minnesota and across the country.
Fox Bangor: Bellows pauses issuance of unmarked license plates amid ICE concerns
Alex Schley, 1/19/26
As concerns over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity continue to grow across Maine, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has announced a pause in the issuance of new unmarked license plates.
Like most states, Maine is allowed to issue unmarked license plates to law enforcement agencies. The plates look like standard civilian plates but cannot be traced back to a specific agency or individual.
“Given some of the tensions and the rumors flying around, we just put a pause on the issuance of new unmarked plates until we can get assurances that those plates won’t be used for lawless purposes,” Bellows said.
Never Backing Down: Secretary Bellows has made national headlines for a reputation for being one of the fiercest Trump opponents. She first made national headlines after ruling Donald Trump was not eligible for the ballot in Maine based on his role in the January 6th insurrection. Since 2025, she’s been leading a national coalition of secretaries to protect voter data from DOJ overreach.
