Cambodian man detained by immigration agents at Portland market
Veranda Asian Market in Woodfords Corner is seen Wednesday afternoon. A Cambodian man who works at the market was apprehended by immigration agents in Portland on Tuesday morning, according to the nonprofit Khmer Maine. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
A Cambodian man was apprehended by immigration agents in Portland on Tuesday morning, according to the nonprofit Khmer Maine.
Marpheen Chann, who heads the organization, confirmed Wednesday that the man worked at Veranda Asian Market in Woodfords Corner. Federal agents went into the store around 9 a.m. Tuesday and asked to speak with him outside before apprehending him, Chann said.
Chann declined to provide the man’s name due to privacy concerns. He said the man is being held at a detention facility in New Hampshire and has been in contact with an attorney.
“Community members, coworkers, and friends all described him as quiet, kind, and a hard worker and have all wrapped around his family to offer support,” Khmer Maine leaders wrote in a social media post Tuesday. “We have also received calls and emails providing more info of what happened this morning.”
Spokespeople for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the detention.
Khmer Maine is working with the man’s family and immigration advocates to “ensure there is a full and transparent accounting of the basis for his arrest,” according to a news release from the organization.
The nonprofit will also host trainings for business owners and community members who may be impacted by ICE enforcement. People interested in those trainings can sign up on the Maine Asian American Community Center website, according to the release.
“Khmer Maine stands against indiscriminate immigration arrests and detention and calls on our Congressional delegation to defund ICE and end mass deportations,” Chann said in a statement. “Cambodian families came to Maine to escape the Khmer Rouge. We work in many of Maine’s iconic industries, pay taxes, and have built homes and families. ICE is hurting Maine’s local economy and making our communities feel less safe.”
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Tagged: immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, portland maine
Morgan covers breaking news and public safety for the Portland Press Herald. Before moving to Maine in 2024, she reported for Michigan State University's student-run publication, as well as the Indianapolis. More by Morgan Womack
