A Scarborough man was released from ICE custody, but the fear of detention still looms

After a month in ICE custody, Scarborough father faces continuing uncertainty

Scarborough, Maine – When Jonas Manywa finally walked through the front door of his home on Friday night, his three daughters were still awake. The six‑year‑old Ivana, the three‑year‑old Eliana and a younger child clutched at their father’s arms, eyes wide with the fear that had settled in the family since the day he was taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Aug. 5. The return home came at 10:30 p.m., and the house did not fall quiet until 3:00 a.m., a night marked by a mother’s frantic calls, a son’s trembling voice, and a father who had spent a month inside a federal detention facility.

The 42‑year‑old Manywa, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Banyamulenge community—a Tutsi‑minority group that has faced persecution in the eastern Congo—has lived in Scarborough with his wife and three daughters for the past several years. He works as a certified nursing assistant, caring for people with disabilities, and has long dreamed of starting his own group home.

A routine check‑in turns into a month of confinement

Manywa was at a routine ICE appointment in Scarborough when officers detained him. He was then transported to the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, where he remained until Aug. 28. During that stay he was told that he could be deported to Cameroon, a country he had never visited and where his ethnic group has been targeted by militia and rebels. Although ICE ultimately released him, the possibility of deportation still looms.

“His case was a minor offense—he was caught driving under the influence in 2024,” lawyer Amelia Ritenour explained. “Because he’s a Banyamulenge, ICE could seek a third country that will take him. It’s counterintuitive because he has no serious criminal record.”

The lawyer also noted that the same risk remains even after release. “It could happen at a routine check‑in or any other time,” she said. “If ICE finds a country that will accept him, they could detain him again.”

New rules keep him on edge

Under the terms of his release, Manywa must attend weekly check‑ins every Friday morning between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. He is required to answer a phone call and submit a photo of himself. His phone is monitored, and he cannot leave the house for any reason except to escort his eldest daughter to school. He has refused an ankle‑monitor condition that ICE initially wanted to impose, arguing that it is excessive.

“It’s a constant reminder that one day this could happen again,” Manywa said in a conversation at his home a few days after he was freed. “I don’t have a guarantee of how long I have with them. ICE may come today. They may come tomorrow.”

He told reporters that he has “one leg inside and one leg outside,” a metaphor for living with the possibility of being taken again.

The human cost

The detention has taken a heavy toll on the family. The father’s absence meant that the children had to stay awake long after bedtime, waiting for him to return. Eliana, who had been drawing when he was taken, told him in a tear‑filled voice, “Papa, I was always waiting for you here.” The family’s plans to spend a weekend together in New York City or Boston were canceled when he was detained the following week.

He has missed five paychecks since his arrest in 2024 and has been unable to work for several weeks, his car was repossessed because he could not pay the loan, and he now owes $11,000 on the vehicle. “I’m struggling to pay rent and take care of my family,” he said. “I didn’t get any work shifts.” The financial strain has also damaged his credit score, making it difficult to obtain a mortgage.

Manywa said the emotional impact is ongoing: “I can’t sleep more than one or two hours a night. I noticed new blemishes on my skin.” His wife has described the nightly scene of her daughters huddled around him, the parents’ faces illuminated by the glow of the phone screen during check‑ins.

His daughter Ivana, who had always been especially close to her father, asked, “Am I dreaming, Papa, or are you here?” Manywa answered, “I wish Ivana had a summer vacation story to share with her classmates when school starts.” He added that he