South Portland’s People’s Inclusive Welding (PIW) held a rally with other groups on Friday to protest the arrest of two Brazilian nationals in the U.S. illegally who have been transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and are currently being processed for removal.
The two Brazilians, Marcos Henrique, 28, and Lucas Segobia (age unknown), were arrested last week when they were pulled over by the Maine State Police while driving into Maine because the officer noticed an off-center license plate.
Police arrested the two men, who are, according to a statement given to the Portland Press Herald, both living in the country illegally.
Border Patrol spokesman Ryan Bissette told the outlet via email that one of the men had overstayed a B-2 visa and neither had legal status.
According to Bissette, both men have been transferred into ICE custody for removal.
People’s Inclusive Welding Organizer, Jo Remillard, hosted the rally on Friday, gathering relatives of the illegal immigrants to express their anger at the arrests of two illegal immigrants who they say are hard workers just looking for a better life.
The Maine branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the Southern Maine Workers’ Center, the Queer Trades Collective, and Presente! Maine joined PIW in protesting the arrests of Henrique and Segobia.
Henrique, who lives in Massachusetts, was reportedly driving without a license at the time of the arrest and had recently lost his Brazilian passport, according to written testimony from his wife, Ana Luiz, which was read during the rally.
“He lost his passport a few days ago, and, unfortunately, for this reason he hasn’t been able to get a driver’s license because he needs to wait for the passport. They arrested him not having a driver’s license, but currently they are judging him for being an immigrant,” said Luiz.
Segobia’s fiancée, Laura Anderson of Searsport, said that he had originally come to the U.S. on a visa and that he had a pending green card application.
“This administration has declared war on our immigration population. An attack on immigrants is an attack on human rights. I will not stand for this, and I will not be quiet about it,” said Anderson.
She claimed that her fiancé is a skilled laborer who “answered the call” to provide necessary work for Maine.
Anderson and other speakers at the rally accused immigration authorities of denying Segobia and Henrique due process and recounted their difficulties in locating them.
She was eventually able to track the prisoners to the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset on Friday, but they have since been moved, and their current location is unclear.
After the family and friends of the two men spoke, Remillard retook the podium to deliver a final “land acknowledgment,” which she asserted invalided U.S. immigration law.
“As we are speaking to you today, we are standing on unceded Wabanaki land, and nobody on stolen land is illegal,” she said.
Anderson has posted a GoFundMe fundraising page for the two men, asking for $20,000 in donations to fund legal fees, make up for lost income, and pay for trips to the detention facilities where they are being held.
As of Monday afternoon, the page had raised over $14,000 from 241 donations.
The Maine Legislature is currently considering two bills, Rep. Deqa Dhalac’s (D-South Portland) LD 1971 and Rep. Ambureen Rana’s (D-Bangor) LD 1259, that would prevent state and local law enforcement from collaborating with immigration authorities.
The bills are set to be considered during a work session in the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and if approved will be sent to the House floor for swift action.
