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Supporters of the ICE surge into Maine claim that the only people getting detained are dangerous criminals who are here illegally. But in just a few days of ICE action in Maine, that’s been shown to be false.
On Jan. 22, masked ICE agents smashed the car windows of a University of Maine-trained civil engineer, Juan Sebastian Carvajal-Munoz, and took him away with the car still running. He has a valid work permit and no criminal record and holds a job at a Maine engineering consulting company that needs to be filled.
The same day, Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce announced that a corrections recruit had been arrested by ICE. This man also was legally in the country, something Joyce knew because his department had reviewed the recruit’s status as part of an extensive background check. Again ICE left the car in the street, something Joyce called “bush league policing.” Joyce added: “You don’t leave their personal belongings unsecure along the streets of the city of Portland. It’s not fair to the guy that owns the car. It’s surely not fair to Portland police.”
The day before, ICE detained Portland resident and mother of four Micheline Ntumba. Like the others, she had no criminal record and was not illegally in the country. In Ntumba’s case, she was in the middle of seeking asylum.
None of these people were criminals or lacked legal status. None were violent or threatened public safety. ICE should stop lying and stop their illegal, unconstitutional activities.
Amy Fried
Bangor