Gratien Milandou-Wamba, a 32-year-old from the Republic of Congo who fled torture and political persecution, was detained by ICE on April 19, 2025, while driving to work at the Cumberland County Jail in his sheriff's uniform. He had lawfully entered the United States in May 2023 on a nonimmigrant visitor's visa, obtained a work permit while applying for asylum, and was hired as a corrections officer in August 2024 after passing comprehensive background screening. ICE cited an expired visa as grounds for detention, though Milandou-Wamba believed he was in legal status while his asylum application was pending. His attorney noted that immigration authorities may have flagged his status after he attempted to purchase a firearm in September 2024 due to safety concerns from interactions with inmates at work. Cumberland County District Attorney Jackie Sartoris publicly defended him as an upstanding community member who does not fit the Trump administration's stated plan to target only criminals, and criticized the detention as targeting someone with a legitimate asylum claim who had registered with the government. His friend and landlord, Tyler Brinkmann, described him as a kind and gentle man involved in his church and community. Milandou-Wamba left his corrections officer position on May 31, 2025, while remaining in ICE custody at Strafford County Department of Corrections in Dover, New Hampshire. He fears deportation would result in imprisonment or death in Congo, where he was tortured for political differences. A federal judge denied bail citing flight risk, which he is appealing. His asylum hearing is scheduled for October 2025.