bostonglobe Families of immigrants arrested in a federal surge in Maine last month are scrambling to find out even basic information about their loved ones, as the government swiftly transfers them to detention facilities hundreds of miles away.⁠ ⁠ Erik Orellana-Mejia’s family is among many impacted. They spend their days next to the phone, wondering when he will call — and from where. Since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him at his worksite on Jan. 20 in Maine, the agency has taken him to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and, most recently, to Missouri.⁠ ⁠ Since last year, ICE has been building out detention and deportation machinery in New England and across the country as it intensifies enforcement operations. The agency relied on this infrastructure to quickly send Maine residents it arrested to detention facilities across the country.⁠ ⁠ Click the link in our bio to read the full story.⁠ ⁠ ✍️: Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio⁠ 📸: Erin Clark/Globe Staff View all 175 comments