Federal judge orders ICE to release Lewiston man

 Federal agents knock on a door in Lewiston on Jan. 21. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer) A federal judge has ordered immigration authorities to release a man who was apprehended at his home in Lewiston last week, and questioned whether his detention was lawful. Eduardo Alves, a Lewiston resident and asylum seeker, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on June 20. After he was brought to the ICE field office in Scarborough, agents transported him to a Massachusetts facility, despite a court order that he stay in Maine, according to court documents. U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann wrote in her decision that moving Alves out of state to the Plymouth County Correctional Center left him without easy access to attorneys. “Mr. Alves (was) detained out of District in violation of a Court order, without his glasses, receiving paperwork in English — his second language — with a bond hearing approaching,” Neumann wrote in her Tuesday order. “These are not abstract procedural concerns. They are the direct and foreseeable result of the Government’s failure to comply with this Court’s Order.” Related [Family and lawyers ‘exhausted’ as ICE shuffles loved ones in and out of Maine](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/06/17/family-and-lawyers-exhausted-as-ice-shuffles-loved-ones-in-and-out-of-maine/) Neumann ordered ICE to release him from the facility by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Alves’ attorney, Brendan O’Keefe, confirmed Wednesday that Alves had made it back home. Federal authorities contend “there are no other appropriate facilities” to keep Alves in Maine. The facility in Scarborough where he was temporarily detained has no beds or showers. And ICE has [stopped using the Cumberland County Jail](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/23/ice-detainees-removed-from-cumberland-county-jail/). Advertisement Assistant U.S. Attorney John Osborn declined to comment about the decision Wednesday. O’Keefe, who declined to talk further about Alves’ case, said he’s appreciative of the judge’s decision and willingness to take the claim seriously. Related [ICE stopped lodging detainees in Cumberland County. Lawyers say that’s made their jobs even harder.](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/08/ice-stopped-lodging-detainees-in-cumberland-county-lawyers-say-thats-made-their-jobs-even-harder/) Neumann also raised concerns in her order about how ICE apprehended Alves. Two days before Alves was detained, ICE agents searched his home after Alves’ 15-year-old daughter let them in. Attorneys have described the girl as being “terrified,” according to court documents. Neumann said it’s unclear whether agents had a valid warrant for the search and Alves’ arrest. She also questioned whether the minor daughter could legally agree to the search. She wrote in her order that if the allegations against ICE are true, she “is troubled a Government agency would subject a child not even old enough to drive to such tactics.” ICE ACTIVITY IN MAINE Alves’ apprehension came just over a week after a Cumberland County corrections officer was [detained by ICE](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/11/cumberland-county-officials-criticize-ice-after-another-corrections-officer-is-detained/) in South Portland. Advertisement Immigration advocates say there appears to be an uptick in general calls to a [statewide hotline](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/10/27/maine-immigrant-advocacy-groups-launch-ice-activity-hotline-as-they-struggle-to-get-answers-on-arrests/) used to report ICE activity, but specific data about those calls was not immediately available Wednesday. In May, advocates warned that hotline data showed [reports of ICE detentions](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/11/ice-activity-is-increasing-in-maine-immigration-rights-advocates-warn/) increasing. While calls were sporadic, they were more consistent than they had been since the end of the enhanced ICE surge in Maine in January. Related [Immigration advocates in Maine launch new reporting system](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/03/immigration-advocates-in-maine-launch-new-reporting-system/) Panagioti Tsolkas, a spokesperson for the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, said Wednesday that the hotline received several calls Tuesday about a large federal law enforcement presence in Augusta. He said advocates confirmed that the operation was not immigration-related. Officials with state, local and federal agencies confirmed Tuesday that they were on scene and [executing search warrants](https://www.centralmaine.com/2026/06/24/large-federal-law-enforcement-presence-seen-at-augusta-home/), but declined to comment further. Copy the Story Link Tagged: [immigration](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/immigration/), [Immigration and Customs Enforcement](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/immigration-and-customs-enforcement/), [lewiston maine](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/lewiston-maine/), [scarborough maine](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/scarborough-maine/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/morgan-womack) [Morgan WomackStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/morgan-womack) 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](https://www.pressherald.com/author/morgan-womack)