Border Patrol agents in Maine arrested two Chinese immigrants in South Paris last month, after police called for assistance while responding to an attempted suicide.
The two men, Chaoyi Wu and Huizheng Feng, were detained on Feb. 18 at a home in South Paris, while a third, unidentified person was transported to a hospital, according to court filings.
Paris Police Chief Michael Ward said in a phone call Wednesday that his agency had called Border Patrol to help communicate with the people on the scene, who did not speak English. He said his department was not involved in the actual arrests.
Ward said his agency also requested help from the Maine State Police, and that it’s relatively rare for them to contact Border Patrol.
A Border Patrol spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and a lawyer for Feng and Wu declined comment.
Days after the arrests, a federal judge ordered the agency to release Feng, who has work authorization and a pending immigration case, according to court filings.
Late Wednesday, a federal judge ordered Wu released as well, writing that Wu has a pending asylum claim and is married to an American citizen.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.