mainepublic After being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late January and spending nearly seven months in detention, a Bridgton man is back home with his family in Maine. Marcos Gaspar Da Silva, who is originally from Brazil, has since been granted lawful permanent residency, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District. In a telephone interview, Gaspar Da Silva said he's still trying to process his ordeal, which included several transfers, sleeping on the floor in the cold, a severe tooth infection and limited access to good drinking water. He spent the past five months at an ICE facility in Florence, Arizona, where he was able to purchase bottled water. "You have to buy water because the taste is so bad," he said, although at times he said he got very thirsty. Gaspar Da Silva was released late last week and arrived back in Maine at the Portland Jetport, where he was greeted by a group of supporters. He said he's happy to be home but plans to seek counseling to try to recover from the experience. "This week I'm going to start talk with psychologist (sic) like to understand what's going on with me," he said. Read the full story by Susan Sharon at mainepublic.org (link in bio). View all 22 comments