Maine officials are pausing the issuance of undercover license plates after receiving a request for plates from federal border security authorities that comes amid rumors that a wave of immigration enforcement actions could soon be carried out in the state.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Saturday that the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which is housed in the secretary of state’s office, received a request for confidential, undercover Maine plates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Bellows did not say when exactly the request came in.

“These requests in light of rumors of ICE deployment to Maine and abuses of power in Minnesota and elsewhere raise concerns,” she said in a written statement. “We have not revoked existing plates but have paused issuance of new plates. We want to be assured that Maine plates will not be used for lawless purposes.”

A spokesperson for Bellows said Saturday that additional information was not immediately available, including how many plates were requested and whether CBP has made such requests in the past.

A media contact for CBP did not immediately respond to questions from the Press Herald on Saturday night seeking details of the request and the agency’s response to the secretary of state’s pause on the issuance of new undercover plates.

The action comes as rumors have been circulating that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could expand its operations in Maine cities. The suggested raids have not yet materialized and the federal government has not shared details.

Federal authorities earlier this week placed an order for cold weather gear for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Houlton.

At least one other federal law enforcement agency has raised concerns about the pause on undercover plates.

Ryan Guay, a supervisory deputy U.S. Marshal for the U.S. Marshals Service District of Maine, said he went Friday to register the agency’s fleet of vehicles via email with the secretary of state’s office and was told the state is not offering “covert status” for federal agencies.

In the past, Guay said the Marshals Service has been able to obtain undercover plates in order to carry out law enforcement operations. The marshals service is a federal agency that supports the judicial branch, including by executing federal court orders, providing security for the judiciary, managing federal prisoners and apprehending criminals.

Guay said he was surprised to learn of the change and was not told it is temporary. He said he was not given a specific reason for the change and said it poses a safety risk for the marshals service.

“This is a drastic change from historical precedent that gives us great concern,” he said. “We often do sensitive investigations or deal with protected persons, and we don’t want to advertise that they’re affiliated with us.”

Guay said Saturday that he was trying to figure out next steps for his agency.

“I’m engaged with our national office and offices around the country to kind of figure out what to do, as this is not a common occurrence at all,” he said.

“Now is the winter of our discontent,” wrote William Shakespeare in “Richard III.” Shakespeare was obviously a birder. His Romeo and Juliet knew the difference between larks and nightingales. He certainly knew winter. And discontent.

Maine birding is still pretty good in winter. The forest and ocean host Canadian breeders fleeing the frozen north. Backyard feeders are active.

Still, as January drags on, there is a certain discontented yearning for the return of colorful songbirds from their tropical vacations.

If you’re reading this column, you’re a birder. But what species of birder are you? What species would you like to be?

Many people are content to watch birds at the feeder, even if they don’t know the identity of every bird they’re seeing. Eventually, an unfamiliar bird shows up, piquing curiosity.

Species moving northward have been tricking people for the last few years. I’m talking about you, Carolina wren and red-bellied woodpecker.

For birders in the feeder-watch group, maybe this is the year to figure out what non-feeder birds are in your backyard. It’s simple. When the songbirds return in May, just find a singing bird and look at it. They tell you where they are.

Penobscot Valley Audubon is currently planning a series of morning bird walks around the Bangor area, a good chance to visit local hot spots in May. With hardly any effort, you’ll evolve into the next species of birder.

You’ve become familiar with local birds. You know most of what you’re seeing, and you can identify a few birds by sound. I mean, c’mon, most people know a chickadee when they hear one.

This is the year to venture farther afield, and experience a few more birding opportunities that Maine has to offer.

In northern Old Town, you are exactly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. Travel south, and deciduous trees start to dominate the forest. Head north, and conifers begin to take over. Proceed west, and elevations increase. Drive east, and the coastal plain prevails.

There’s a different set of birds in every habitat. This may be the year to explore our state from a birding perspective. It’s got secrets, and you can find them.

Perhaps you’ve done all that. You’re longing to evolve again, into a species of birder that explores beyond Maine’s borders. It’s never been easier. You can start your exploration while still on the couch.

Many states, including Maine, have established birding trails, sharing their best birding sites online for free. Many states have birding festivals. Maine has four. Look up any festival itinerary online and see where they go.

My go-to resource is eBird, another online app from the Cornell Lab. Using its many features, I can research a broad geographic area or narrow my search down to a specific hot spot. It will even tell me where to find birds I have never seen before. That’s how I know there’s a boreal owl roosting daily in a particular park in Quebec City. It’s currently the top bird on my personal must-see list.

Birders evolve. As your skills improve and your adventures expand, the act of birding itself changes. I don’t bird the way I used to. I am more aware of bird habitat preferences and behaviors. Most of the time, I don’t even need a good look to identify a bird.

That’s not necessarily a good thing. One reason I travel is to recapture the exhilaration of being a beginner, to see and hear birds I can’t identify right away. I want to struggle, for what fun is winning without effort?

Use the winter of our discontent to dream about spring. Resolve to go on a bird walk, attend a festival, explore the state.

Get familiar with your birding tools before you must use them. For instance, maybe a new camera is in your future.

I guarantee that if you don’t practice photographing chickadees right now, you won’t be able to quickly dial in all the proper settings of a modern camera when an unusual bird poses for you this summer.

That will be cause for discontent.

Federal law enforcement officers overseeing the Maine border recently placed rush orders for cold weather gear, mirroring similar moves in Minnesota as cities here brace for a large operation expected here next week.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Houlton Sector, which oversees border security for the entire state, filed a federal notice Thursday seeking a contract with Crye Precision LLC, a Brooklyn-based tactical gear and apparel company, for the “rapid” acquisition of “cold weather apparel.” It did not specify a dollar amount or quantity.

The purchase order is a potential sign of an impending federal raid planned for Maine because it mirrors similar steps taken by immigration authorities ahead of a massive ongoing operation in the Minneapolis area that began in late December. Portland and Lewiston have been quiet but anxious as residents prepare for a potential surge in arrests.

Neither a Houlton sector spokesperson nor Crye Precision responded to messages seeking comment. The company sells items ranging from tactical clothing to bulletproof vests.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed two orders for parkas for special agents “to support an urgent enforcement mission” in St. Paul, one of the two major cities where their activity has focused, according to federal records. ICE also placed two more orders for cold-weather gear this month, but it did not specify where those jackets would be going.

At least 2,000 federal agents were sent to support the operation earlier this month, and 1,000 more were sent this week in what President Donald Trump’s administration has called the largest operation in the history of the Department of Homeland Security.

The Minnesota raid came after federal prosecutors there charged nearly 100 people in November for welfare and Medicaid fraud schemes centered on a large Somali community there. An immigration agent shot and killed a woman in her car last week as massive protests broke out against Trump’s policies.

Maine has drawn scrutiny after state officials paused MaineCare payments to an immigrant health care provider after identifying a credible allegation of fraud just before Christmas.

Two interpreters connected to another provider are facing federal tax fraud charges for an interpreter fraud scheme that a federal law enforcement official warned several years ago could be widespread.

On Tuesday, Trump mentioned those fraud allegations in Maine that have so far been focused on the state’s Somali population.

“They’re scammers. They always will be, and we’re getting them out,” he said. “In Maine, it’s really crooked as hell, too.”