Lewiston protesters decry ICE tactics following arrest on Lisbon Street
Lewiston Protest Calls for End to ICE Harassment, Urges City to Enforce New State Law
Lewiston, Maine – On Wednesday evening, more than 20 residents gathered on Lisbon Street to protest the recent arrests of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a local apartment complex. The demonstration was held near a property where ICE detained a man on Tuesday after he had arrived to collect belongings for a tenant who was hospitalized.
The protest was organized by a group of residents, including retired family physician Alice Haines, property manager Sherie Blumenthal, and Somali community leader Ifraax Saciid‑Ciise, all of whom have spoken out against what they describe as ongoing harassment of immigrant families in the Lewiston‑Auburn area. “We just want to go to work, go home and sleep peacefully,” Saciid‑Ciise told the crowd. “We want to drive on the road like a normal person without being harassed, without being followed by ICE, without worrying about if ICE is on the doorstep, without being scared going to the hospital to see the doctor. We just want to live peacefully.”
Blumenthal, who was on hand to give a speech, said the incident on Tuesday was the fourth arrest at the Lisbon Street property in the past few months. “We’re here to not only put a stop to that but the other unjust activities of ICE in our community,” she said.
The group’s demands focus on two main points. First, they call for landlords to comply with the state’s “ICE Out of Our Homes” law, which was enacted in April and prohibits landlords from disclosing a tenant’s personal or sensitive information to ICE unless the agency has a valid judicial warrant. Second, protesters urged the city to stop providing General Assistance funds—used to help residents pay rent—to any landlord who violates a tenant’s privacy.
“When people receive funds from the city to help with their rent, these people get that money,” Haines said. “We don’t want that to happen anymore.”
City officials were not present at the protest, and ICE did not respond to a request for comment. The agency has previously said it targets people who are a danger to the community, noting that even if an immigrant has no criminal record in the United States, they often have records in their home country. A recent analysis by the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition found that about 69% of immigrants arrested by ICE in 2026 had no criminal convictions or charges.
Local residents voiced their concerns as well. Lewiston resident Jim Cogan said the recent ICE actions were “distressing.” “We cannot be assured that due process is being followed; and this is not how our country was designed in the beginning,” he added. Reverend Debbie Rogers Duval, a community leader, also spoke to the crowd, emphasizing the need for fair treatment. “I feel like ICE is acting in ways that are really non‑American,” she said.
A Portland resident, who asked to remain anonymous, warned that the situation could affect anyone. “If you don’t think it’s an issue because it’s not happening to you, then just wait because it’ll be happening to you before you know it,” she told the protest.
The protest on Lisbon Street highlights the broader pattern of ICE activity in the Lewiston‑Auburn area over the past year. Organizers and advocates are calling for increased transparency and protection of tenant rights, while urging the city to enforce the new state law and protect vulnerable residents from federal enforcement actions that may lack due process.
