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By Lee Burnett
Sanford’s immigrant community is on high alert as a result of unconfirmed reports of increased enforcement activity by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
An agent for US Customs and Border Protection was seen at The Depot convenience store in Springvale this week, according to Marcia Garnecky of Springvale, who represents Mainers for Humane Immigration. Garnecky, who is a trained verifier, said she investigated the report herself and verified that it was an unmarked vehicle driven by an officer wearing a US Customs and Border Protection uniform. The presence of a border patrol officer is not proof of ICE activity, because while the agencies often work in concert, that is not always the case, she said. Further investigating the situation, Garnecky said she visited some at-risk areas in town and checked in with a couple of families and found “everyone was okay.”
Tina Parks, who teaches English to immigrants at Sanford Community Adult Education, said none of her students showed up in class Tuesday morning and a couple of them emailed her to say they had heard ICE was in town and “didn’t feel safe coming to class.” Students who walk to class feel especially vulnerable, she said.
Sanford School Superintendent Matt Nelson said he heard enough concern from several staff members that he decided to reissue previously shared guidance to all staff on their rights and responsibilities in interactions with immigration authorities. Issuing the guidance was not based on confirmed reports of ICE activity, he said, but out of sense of responsibility for creating a “safe and supportive” environment for all students. “I wanted to be proactive,” he said.
Other immigrant-rich communities in Maine are also on high alert. Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline and Portland Mayor Mark Dion both issued warnings Wednesday about the possibility of ICE agents coming to their cities.
Garnecky said just as people need to be alert to enforcement activity, they also need to be cautious about the information they share. “At the moment, organizations are navigating a lot of uncertainty, and we’re being careful about how information is shared so as not to cause unnecessary concern or confusion in communities,” she wrote in an email.
She urged people to report the presence of ICE by gathering detailed information on numbers of officers, activity, location, time and presence of equipment or weapons and calling the Maine ICE Watch hotline at 207 200-6246.
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