Human Impact Project

Nguinamau Celestino, an asylum seeker from Angola who has lived in Saco, Maine since 2017 and works in plumbing and HVAC, was detained by ICE agents at the Portland Jetport on Oct. 9 while traveling to visit his 15-year-old deaf son in Washington, D.C. He was identified by agents after showing ID to a TSA agent and was told he had overstayed a visa he entered on legally in May 2018; his family's asylum application remains pending and he has no criminal history. Celestino was processed at an ICE facility in Scarborough before being transferred to Strafford County Corrections in Dover, New Hampshire. His daughter said his work authorization card, Social Security card, and Angolan ID went missing from his belongings, and the family is worried about the impact on his wife, who has lupus, and his son, who had to leave school for the weekend. The family started a GoFundMe, nearing its $30,000 goal, to cover legal and attorney costs as they seek his release.

An Angolan asylum seeker living in Maine was taken into ICE custody after negotiating a swap with immigration agents who had first detained his wife. The couple arranged the exchange so their 10-year-old son would not be left without a parent at home. Court records describe the arrangement as part of a broader pattern of federal agents tracking down immigrants with legal status at homes and workplaces in Maine, with lawyers noting Maine has stood out among New England states for this type of enforcement activity.

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national with legal work authorization, was fatally shot on July 13, 2026 by ICE officer David Brouillette during a mistaken traffic stop near a laundromat in Biddeford, Maine. He was driving to an early-morning DoorDash delivery shift and also worked as a veterinary clinic cleaner when agents conducting surveillance for someone else with a final removal order rammed his vehicle and fired five shots through the windshield, striking him in the head, as his 3-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting. DHS claimed the vehicle tried to flee, a claim disputed by witnesses, and officials later confirmed he was not the intended target. His partner, Karolina Rojas, described him as 'a hard worker devoted to his family' who 'always dreamed big' for their daughter, while a neighbor called him 'a good person,' quiet and dedicated. Relatives say the officer who shot him has a history of serious mental health struggles dating to childhood. He was the 11th person fatally shot by federal immigration officials during Trump's second term. Hundreds protested in Biddeford, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin briefly paused ICE traffic stops before Trump reversed the decision, the FBI declined to open a civil rights investigation, and the Maine Attorney General's Office and DHS Office of Inspector General opened inquiries. Senator Angus King, Governor Janet Mills, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and Congressman Bennie Thompson called for independent investigations, his family sought to repatriate his body to Colombia, and community ICE-watch groups across Maine ramped up efforts to monitor ICE vehicles amid an intensified enforcement campaign known as Operation Catch of the Day.

Dannick Massamba-Bankela, a corrections officer at the Cumberland County Jail, was detained by ICE agents after a scheduled appointment at the agency's Scarborough office. He came to the United States from the Republic of Congo in 2023, applied for asylum within three months, and held work authorization with no criminal record. He previously worked as a transportation coordinator for a Portland assisted-living facility and is the sole breadwinner for his wife and two young children, whom he told he loved before the appointment; a friend said she arranged him a ride that morning after spotting immigration officers near his home. His attorney, Christina Corbaci, said he entered legally on a visa and has a pending asylum claim, but ICE cited a visa overstay; she called him courageous, said he anticipated the detention, and plans to seek a bond hearing. He is being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts and is the fifth known Cumberland County corrections officer detained by ICE, following the detentions of Nilton Ribeiro of Angola and a York County corrections officer. Friends and immigrant rights advocates gathered outside the facility in support.

Adnero Pinto Sebastiao, an Angolan national with a pending asylum application, was arrested by ICE agents as he returned from lunch to his job at a bank in the Lewiston area. He had entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in March 2024 before applying for asylum, and his immigration case remains pending. His attorneys filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus arguing the detention was an unlawful warrantless arrest lacking individualized assessment. A federal judge issued an indefinite injunction barring ICE from removing him from the U.S. or transferring him out of the District of Maine, and ordered the government to justify the detention. A DHS spokesperson said Sebastiao overstayed his visa and that a pending asylum application does not confer legal status.

Bill Bassikissa Bounguiena, a Cumberland County corrections officer, was detained by ICE in South Portland, Maine in June 2026. He had been hired by the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office in August 2024, had no disciplinary issues, and the Sheriff's Office said he 'demonstrated dedication to his duties' by frequently working overtime. He held an employment authorization document confirming he could legally work in the United States until 2030. The Sheriff's Office said it had no further information explaining why ICE detained him.

Nilton Ribeiro, a corrections officer at the Cumberland County Jail in Maine since 2023, was arrested by ICE agents on August 22, 2026, during a targeted enforcement operation. Originally from Angola, he entered the U.S. in September 2022 with permission to stay until March 2023, but DHS said he remained after that date expired. Sheriff Kevin Joyce called him 'a very good employee' and 'a very good corrections officer' who passed a rigorous hiring process, including a background check, polygraph test, and I-9 verification. Jail administrator Timothy Kortes said he met job expectations and had notified the jail of an immigration issue before missing work. Ribeiro remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. Sheriff Joyce said Ribeiro is at least the fourth Cumberland County Jail corrections officer or recruit detained by ICE in the past 16 months, including another recruit who had no known criminal history and was authorized to work in the U.S.

ICE agents detained a Cambodian man Tuesday morning while he was working at Veranda Asian Market in Woodfords Corner, Portland, Maine. His name has not been publicly released, but Khmer Maine, a nonprofit in contact with him, described him as "quiet, kind and a hard worker." Marpheen Chann, executive director of Khmer Maine, said the arrest has sparked fear in local Asian immigrant communities and is "hurting Maine's local economy and making our communities feel less safe." Khmer Maine says it is working with his family and immigration advocates to ensure transparency. ICE has not released statistics on its recent operations in Maine, though national ICE detention numbers reached a record high of more than 65,000 last month.

Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva, a 32-year-old Brazilian general contractor and former attorney living in Bridgton, Maine, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Portland on January 20. He had no criminal record, had entered the country seeking asylum, and had a pending marriage-based green card petition filed by his U.S. citizen wife, Alessia. He was held for nearly seven months, transferred through facilities in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Louisiana and Arizona, where he and his wife reported overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, inadequate medical care including an untreated toothache that led to the tooth being pulled, and a weight loss of more than 26 pounds. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree's staff assisted Alessia and pressed officials about his medical treatment while helping expedite his case. In August, an immigration judge granted him adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident, and he was released on August 13 to reunite with his wife and 11-year-old daughter, though he described lasting emotional numbness and difficulty eating and sleeping.

The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition reported that ICE agents have arrested at least five people at Portland International Jetport in recent weeks, with detentions occurring during passenger check-in and boarding. A Portland city spokesperson said TSA officials announced at an Aug. 5 meeting with airline and Jetport personnel that ICE activity was being planned for airports including Portland. DHS defended information sharing between ICE and TSA as essential for identifying travelers, while coalition advocacy director Ruben Torres said he believes the airport arrests are aimed at increasing overall arrest numbers rather than public safety. The coalition has warned some immigrants with uncertain status to speak with an attorney before traveling by air.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a husband and wife outside the Cumberland County courthouse in Portland after they left the building on Tuesday, in what ICE described as a "targeted enforcement operation." According to ICE, both are from African countries and had entered the U.S. legally approximately 10 years ago but overstayed their authorized periods of stay. Court records show one of the two had been indicted earlier this year on a theft charge for allegedly taking items from a Walmart in late 2025 and early 2026, and was scheduled to be arraigned that afternoon. The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition said the arrests, captured on video, were the first it was aware of occurring outside the Cumberland County courthouse; officials confirmed ICE agents had been inside the courthouse that morning reviewing the public docket, though the arrests themselves occurred off courthouse property and local police said they had not been notified beforehand.

Domingo Tot Quip, a 31-year-old Portland resident from Guatemala and restaurant worker, was arrested at a bus stop in January 2026 during an ICE enforcement operation while heading to work. ICE agents mistakenly identified him as another Guatemalan man with the same first name and birthday who had a final removal order, despite Tot Quip having valid identification documents with him at the time of arrest. He spoke primarily an indigenous Guatemalan language, had no criminal history, and had never interacted with ICE before. A federal judge ordered ICE not to remove him from the country, but Tot Quip was deported to Guatemala one day after the order. His attorney, Kerry Doyle, alleged racial profiling was involved in the misidentification. After months in Guatemala, ICE acknowledged "the gravity of the inadvertent removal" in court records and agreed to return Tot Quip to the U.S. at government expense, with his return to Maine expected in August 2026.

Dhavalkumar 'Dale' Patel, owner of Wallace's Market in Friendship, Maine, was arrested by ICE agents at his store in late June 2026. A native of India, Patel entered the U.S. without authorization in November 2010 and was issued a removal order in August 2011 after failing to appear for an immigration hearing. He was transferred to Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts while his wife Hanna took over running the store and caring for their 2.5-year-old U.S.-born son. Attorney Audrey Richardson filed a habeas corpus petition on his behalf, and U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued an emergency stay blocking his deportation and transfer for at least 72 hours, requiring advance notice before any move out of Massachusetts. More than 200 community members signed a petition supporting his return, and a GoFundMe campaign raised over $7,800 for the family.

A Burkina Faso citizen who fled violence and religious persecution and was lawfully admitted on a B-2 visa in November 2021 filed an asylum application within one year of arrival and maintained compliance with all USCIS requirements. ICE arrested him at his Portland home on June 30, 2026, and transported him to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. The court issued a temporary restraining order enjoining ICE from removing him from the District of Rhode Island pending resolution of his habeas corpus petition, with exceptions only for medical emergencies or bond hearings before an Immigration Judge.

Eduardo Jose Alves, an Angolan asylum seeker living in Lewiston, Maine, who entered the U.S. on a valid tourist visa and filed an affirmative asylum application, was detained by ICE agents at his home on June 20, 2026. That same day, a court issued an emergency order staying his transfer out of Maine for 72 hours, but ICE moved him to Plymouth County Correctional Center in Massachusetts within two hours of the order. Attorneys raised questions about whether agents had a valid warrant and whether they improperly pressured his 15-year-old daughter to allow entry into the home. U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann later found the detention violated the existing court order and that his out-of-state transfer impaired his right to counsel ahead of an imminent bond hearing, and ordered his immediate release from ICE custody. The dispute became a flashpoint between immigration authorities and attorneys challenging the administration's enforcement tactics.

Billy Bassikissa Bounguiena, a corrections officer at Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, was detained by ICE on Tuesday at his home in South Portland. He held a valid work permit and had no criminal history, according to county officials. ICE alleged he had a criminal record based on a 2019 domestic violence arrest in which no charges were filed; county officials dispute this characterization as false. He is being held at Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island.

Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali immigrant who had lived in the U.S. for more than 25 years with valid work authorization, was detained by ICE near Portland, Maine, and held for over seven weeks in Massachusetts before being rapidly transferred across multiple states, including Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, in December 2025. His family lost contact with him for about five days, piecing together his whereabouts through a lawyer's email, a call from another detainee's wife, and a brief two-minute call from Mohamed himself at an undisclosed airport. He reported being beaten and shackled during the transfers and enduring long periods without food or water. ICE did not respond to his lawyer's requests for release or to habeas petition efforts before he was deported to Somalia, where he has no family or means of support; his wife remains in hiding in the U.S. due to her immigration status. A Marshall Project investigation found that rapid, multi-transfer detentions like his have become increasingly common under the Trump administration, with transfers of five or more times more than tripling since the final year of the Biden administration.

Robert 'Bob' Peck, a U.S. citizen acting as a citizen observer monitoring immigration enforcement in South Portland, Maine, was confronted by masked ICE agents on January 22, 2026 while following and filming their vehicle on Route 1. Deportation officers Nicholas Lapointe and Christopher Semler threatened to arrest him if he continued observing them. The incident occurred amid a broader surge of ICE operations in Maine that week, including agents firing paintball-like projectiles at vehicles driven by observers in a Home Depot parking lot. Peck filed a notice of claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act on February 1, 2026 seeking $7.5 million in damages, and later filed a civil complaint under Maine's civil rights act alleging violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights. His attorney, David Webbert, said it is the first time a Maine legal observer has sued ICE officers under the state's civil rights law. The case is among multiple reports of ICE agents intimidating observers, including threats to add them to watchlists and agents driving to observers' homes.

Brandy Rogers, a mental health therapist, was stopped by ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle in June after she volunteered to drive a neighbor home from district court. When ICE agents pounded on the car's doors and threatened to shatter the windows if she did not unlock the vehicle, Rogers initially refused but eventually complied. Her neighbor, whom Rogers identified as being in the country legally, was taken into custody and held for three weeks before being released. Rogers recounted: "I initially refused, shook my head no, but they weren't having any of it and just kept knocking on the door."

A man pursuing asylum in Maine since 2021 through official legal channels was unexpectedly detained by ICE for 21 days despite having documentation of his ongoing legal process. He was released and returned home to his wife and four children (two born in the U.S.), but his asylum case was moved to formal Immigration Court, requiring a defensive asylum case before a judge to avoid deportation. His family is raising funds for private legal representation to mount his court defense.