Johan Sebastián’s death is a devastating tragedy, felt by his family, the Biddeford community, and all of Maine. It is also not an isolated incident, and it was not an accident. It is the direct and foreseeable result of deliberate federal policy choices, rooted in racism and dehumanization.
Read MoreOn August 17, House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson and other Members of the U.S. House of Representatives traveled to Biddeford to join Representative Pingree in an oversight hearing of ICE’s use of force and the killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. ILAP’s Executive Director Sue Roche was called as a witness in the oversight hearing
Read MoreOur hearts are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Johan Sebastián, whose life was taken by ICE as he was on his way to work Monday morning, July 13th.
Read MoreThree new ICE Out of Maine laws took effect today, drawing a clear line between rogue federal agents and the essential places where Mainers live, learn, and heal. These laws will protect Maine communities and ensure that local officials and resources are never used to support dangerous and chaotic federal immigration operations…
Read MoreLisa Parisio, policy director for the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project in Portland, said the juveniles are now living in a constant state of fear. "We have just seen and heard so many reports from families – young people of working age who are afraid to go to work, afraid to seek higher education, afraid to just start their lives," Parisio reported.
Read More“Immigration enforcement has been at high levels since the beginning of 2025 to now, both before and after the January ICE operation,” Lisa Parisio, the policy director for the Portland-based Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, said. “Enforcement did not stop after that.”
Read MoreMainers are expressing shock and anger after a fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Colombian man in Biddeford Monday morning involving immigration enforcement officers.
Read MoreDuring the last week of June, the Supreme Court issued three major immigration decisions on Temporary Protected Status, Asylum, and Birthright Citizenship. Each ruling will impact Maine immigrants, including one that paves the way for the federal administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for 1.3 million people across the country.
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