Cumberland County District Attorney (DA) Jackie Sartoris took to Maine’s liberal news on Thursday to defend a county corrections officer, Gratien Milandou-Wamba, 32, after he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly overstaying his visa.
“What we’re doing right now is taking people who have legitimate asylum claims, who have registered with the government, who are endangered in their country of origin, and we’re saying, ‘Well, sorry, we have now changed our minds because of this 3,000 quota,’” Sartoris told WGME-13.
Milandou-Wamba came to the U.S. in May 2023 from the Democratic Republic of Congo on a tourist visa and subsequently claimed asylum. He was granted work authorization while his asylum claim is evaluated.
In 2024, Milandou-Wamba was hired by the Cumberland County Department of Correction and was arrested by ICE agents in April, who say that he overstayed his visa. That arrest is believed to have stemmed from his effort to purchase a firearm last year.
His attorney confirmed his visa overstay but argued that it is not a big deal. Milandou-Wamba claims that he believed his work permit would allow him to remain in the U.S. while his asylum claim is adjudicated.
Sartoris notably did not deny that Milandou-Wamba was trying to remain in the U.S. on an expired visa, but nonetheless claimed that he is an upstanding and respectable member of the community who should not have been arrested by ICE.
“This individual who was detained by ICE was duly screened and is someone with a background that the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office felt was more than appropriate,” said Sartoris.
She declined to mention his 2023 arrest, just months after entering the U.S., for driving without a license.
Milandou-Wamba has been held without bail at the Strafford County Jail in New Hampshire since his arrest in April.
His first asylum hearing is scheduled for October.
