Bar Harbor Residents Rally Against ICE Immigration Actions

Jan 28, 2026

Two women standing in a snowy outdoor setting holding a cardboard sign that reads 'WE STAND WITH IMMIGRANTS LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.' One woman is wearing a blue jacket with a fur-lined hood, and the other is wearing a green jacket and an orange hat.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Choco-Latté Café.

Exterior view of Choco-Latté Café located at 240 Main St., Bar Harbor, ME, featuring a bagel and a latte graphic on a vibrant yellow background.

BAR HARBOR—Somewhere between 135 and 150 people gathered by the town’s municipal building on Tuesday evening to protest the surge of immigration enforcement that began last week in Maine.

Protestors lined up behind snowbanks and along Cottage Street and on the lawn and sidewalks of the municipal building as well as across the street in front of Hannaford, the grocery store.

Students from the College of the Atlantic joined town residents in a mostly quiet protest with occasional chanting signaling their protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Tell me what democracy looks like,” a caller sang out.

“This is what democracy looks like,” protestors responded.

The crowd also chanted, “Hey. Hey. Ho. Ho. These fascists have got to go.”

ICE has said that it detained approximately 100 people in Maine last week as part of “Operation Catch of the Day.” The heightened presence in the state of the federal agents has sparked commentary by the state’s federal Congressional delegation, as well as local leaders and community organizers, particularly in the Portland and Lewiston areas. Rallies in those areas, as well as Bangor, have collectively drawn thousands of attendees.

Signs at the Bar Harbor event included: “Immigrants, We Get the Job Done,” “ICE out now!”, “Stop the Gestapo,” “Impeach, Convict, Remove,” “We like snow not ICE,” and “No one is illegal on stolen land. Abolish ICE.” Others condemned the actions of President Trump and called for his impeachment. Others called for due process. A small sign read, “Leave Greenland alone.”

Three individuals holding signs that read 'CRUSH ICE!' and 'Ice Out Now!' while standing in front of a brick wall.

A woman wearing a rainbow-striped hat and a purple coat holds a protest sign that features a torn American flag with the word 'BROKEN' and an image of the Statue of Liberty with the word 'RESIST.'

Earlier in the afternoon, a Bar Harbor resident held another protest against the Trump Administration and its practices at Hulls Cove.

There was no visible police presence at the Bar Harbor or Hulls Cove protest, other than a police cruiser driving along Cottage Street. The protest disbanded peacefully after lasting approximately an hour.

A walkout in Southwest Harbor Tuesday, January 20, drew about 35 people despite cold temperatures, according to attendees.

The “Free America Walkout,“ was one of many nationwide protests that coincided with President Donald Trump’s beginning of his second term in the White House. Stand-outs, walk-outs, and protests have been common throughout the year in both Southwest Harbor and Hulls Cove.

Nationwide, more No Kings protests are planned for March 28. In Maine, the last round of those protests in October inspired 40 events, including an estimated 750 people at one in Southwest Harbor. No Kings is a coalition of a broad group of over 150 organizations. Many of those are labor unions, human rights and environmental organizations and political advocacy groups.