Mainers organize to push ICE out of Scarborough, file petition to congressional delegation
SCARBOROUGH — A crowd of roughly 40 people gathered at the town hall on Monday, many wearing white T‑shirts that bore a red‑circled “ICE” with a diagonal line through it. The assembly was a community organizing meeting, bringing together residents, elected officials, volunteers and activists to plan how southern Maine could respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities, with a particular focus on the ICE detention facility located in this suburb of Portland.
The event grew out of a wave of grief and anger that swept through the region after the killing of Biddeford resident Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero earlier this summer. Many locals felt powerless against the federal agency, but two months later they were turning those emotions into concrete action under the banner of an “ICE Out” gathering.
From the outset, organizer Jennifer Jortberg told the audience that the night was not just another protest. “Tonight, we organize,” she declared, setting the tone for a meeting that would chart multiple strategies for challenging ICE’s presence.
The Scarborough Democratic Town Committee had already drafted a petition asking Maine’s congressional delegation to convene a meeting aimed at reviewing and ultimately removing the ICE facility. The request cited the community’s heightened concerns following both Guerrero’s death and the repeated detention of a Scarborough resident, Jonas Manywa, at the same site. More than 800 people from Scarborough and surrounding towns signed the petition, which seeks a gathering on Sept. 28 that would include representatives from the U.S. General Services Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE itself, state and local officials, and Joshua Soley, the leasing and property manager for the building at 40 Manson Libby Road.
The federal leasing arrangement dates back to 2019, when the GSA began a 15‑year lease with owner AEY LLC. As the landlord for federal agencies, the GSA holds the authority to sublease the property, a point that has become central to local arguments about who can influence ICE’s operations in the town.
While the committee has not yet heard back from Maine’s congressional delegation about the proposed September meeting, U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree recorded a message of support for Monday’s event. In the same session, Scarborough Town Councilor and Democratic Town Committee Chair Jon Anderson urged attendees to focus on the upcoming Senate race, telling them, “The only way things will change is if Troy Jackson gets elected to the Senate.” He encouraged volunteers to canvass and vote, emphasizing that local political engagement could be a catalyst for broader change.
The group, however, was careful not to surrender all authority to the federal government. “Sometimes democracy doesn’t begin in Washington,” said New Hampshire State Representative Wendy Thomas, who had helped Merrimack, N.H., stop a proposed ICE detention center earlier this year. “Sometimes it begins in a town hall.” Thomas’s presence underscored a belief that grassroots action at the municipal level could be just as effective as top‑down policy shifts.
Earlier in July, the Scarborough Town Council passed a unanimous proclamation demanding greater transparency and accountability from federal immigration enforcement. The measure also called for evaluating alternative uses for the ICE building, up to and including the discontinuation or relocation of its operations. Over 400 residents signed a separate petition urging the town to adopt three concrete actions: enact an ordinance limiting municipal collaboration with federal immigration agents, commission an investigation into the ICE facility, and document the agency’s impact on the community.
At a forthcoming executive session, the council will consult with the town’s attorney about the legal tools available to hold ICE accountable under local land‑use regulations and to restrict town employees’ involvement in federal immigration enforcement. Councilor Anderson acknowledged that the municipality’s power is limited, but he stressed that the council is still exploring every viable avenue.
Organizers split into working groups to pursue a range of tactics, from public rallies and protests to direct engagement with local, state and federal officials. “(ICE agents) are successful when they work in the dark,” said activist Paul Lyons, explaining that his role as a white, tall man is to amplify the voices of those who are often marginalized. The groups aim to push back against ICE’s operations while also ensuring that the agency does not simply relocate to another part of Maine.
While the immediate goal is to get “ICE out of Scarborough,” the coalition’s broader vision is statewide. “This is not a town problem; it’s a state problem,” Thomas observed, emphasizing that the fight extends beyond municipal borders.
More than half of the attendees traveled from outside Scarborough, with some coming as far as Belfast. Randy Robinson, a resident of Rockland, said he made the trip because “Scarborough needs all the help it can get.” He underscored the sense of regional solidarity that the meeting had generated.
As the evening concluded, Jortberg offered a hopeful note, saying, “May it be the start of ridding every community of ICE.” The gathering left participants with a clear sense of purpose, a network of allies, and a series of actionable plans aimed at curbing ICE’s footprint in Maine.
