Bridgton man returns to Maine after nearly seven months in ICE detention

yahoo.com · By Marcus Cocova · 2026-08-17T04:41:08Z

Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva of Bridgton returned to Maine through the Portland International Jetport around 10:40 p.m. Sunday after nearly seven months in ICE detention."I'm so happy [to] go back home, but I don't feel good," Marcos said Sunday. "I'm still processing everything."Marcos was originally arrested January 20 in Portland as part of ICE's immigration raids across the country. He was on his way to work when he was detained.Lake Region Indivisible told NEWS CENTER Maine that Marcos was granted lawful permanent resident status and released from immigration detention Wednesday in Arizona."We're so grateful for everybody who has assisted us and been there," said Alessia "Alex" Gaspar-Da Silva, Marcos' wife. "You expect to feel some way, like big hugging, and we just did not have that — not because we were not happy, [but because] it's an overload."Alex also told NEWS CENTER Maine in January that Marcos had been working, paying taxes, and had never been charged with a crime.Lake Region Indivisible said in a release that Marcos was transferred across three states during his detention. The group said he experienced health problems and what his family described as unsanitary conditions at detention facilities."Some of the inhumane conditions that he was subjected to were non-potable water," said Amy Strum, founder of Lake Region Indivisible. "Water that, if he drank it, would get him sick, so Alex had to send him a lot of money to buy water from the commissary."Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree said in a release that she is grateful to everyone who fought for Marcos, including members of her staff, who "pressed detention officials for the medical care Marcos was being denied."Members of Marcos' community gathered at the Portland Jetport to welcome Marcos home on Sunday."When we heard that Marcos had been released from custody and was coming home, we wanted to come here, support him, and just make sure that he knows that he's loved and help with that next step on this journey, which is going to require a lot of healing and a lot of help," said Sarah Bartlett, reverend of Second Congregational Church in Norway.NEWS CENTER Maine has reached out to ICE for comment and to clarify the conditions of Marcos' detainment.