BRIDGTON — After nearly seven months held in multiple detention facilities across three states, Bridgton resident Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva was granted lawful permanent residency and released from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Arizona, his wife said.
Detained during statewide operation
Federal immigration agents detained Gaspar-Da Silva, an asylum seeker from Brazil, on Jan. 20 in Portland during the beginning of a large-scale ICE operation across the state, according to his wife. He was driving another man to work at the time of his arrest. The other man was also detained during the sweep.
Gaspar-Da Silva’s wife, Alessia Gaspar-Da Silva, said she was on the phone with him when agents said they were seeking only "extreme criminals" with outstanding warrants. She said her husband told them he had a pending asylum case and no warrants, but agents still took him into custody.
"My mind was thinking, 'This is a dream,'" Gaspar-Da Silva told Maine Morning Star after his release.
Allegations of poor conditions
During his months in custody, his wife said Gaspar-Da Silva described unsanitary and unhealthy conditions at multiple facilities. She said he reported receiving meals that resembled dog food and being given brown water that caused illness.
She said the Mesa detention center near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport — a facility intended for short-term holding — was the worst of his experiences. There, she said, he was housed with dozens of others in a room without beds and with a toilet that would overflow and spread fecal matter on the floor, leading him to develop a rash.
Authorities, she added, repeatedly pressured him to agree to voluntary departure from the country. In the Mesa facility, the other man who had been detained with him ultimately accepted voluntary return, while Gaspar-Da Silva remained in custody and was later transferred to ICE’s Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex.
Release and reunion
Gaspar-Da Silva was granted lawful permanent residency and released Thursday afternoon from the Florence facility. His wife said she was boarding a final flight to pick him up when he called to tell her the news. She said he greeted her at the airport with flowers and helped by carrying her bags after months of her advocacy for his release.
The family’s account describes serious medical concerns during detention. Alessia said at one point she feared her husband would die of sepsis due to the conditions he described.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan. 20 | Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva detained in Portland during ICE operation |
| Feb. (approx.) | Transferred to ICE’s Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex |
| Aug. (Thursday) | Granted lawful permanent residency and released from Arizona facility |
Local impact and outstanding questions
The case highlights tensions around immigration enforcement and the treatment of detainees moved long distances from their communities. Local residents and advocates have raised concerns in past months about large-scale enforcement actions and the conditions faced by people in ICE custody.
Gaspar-Da Silva’s release and status change to lawful permanent resident end his months of detention, but his family’s account underscores ongoing issues that affect Mainers with pending immigration cases who can be subject to enforcement actions.
- Family reunited: Gaspar-Da Silva was greeted by his wife at the airport after release.
- Health concerns reported: The family described unsanitary conditions and health problems while he was detained.
- Other detainees: The man who had been riding with him accepted voluntary departure while Gaspar-Da Silva remained in custody.
ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were cited in media accounts of the detention sweep, and the Department of Homeland Security was referenced in reporting on the case. This article reflects the family’s statements and the timeline shared publicly; ICE did not provide a statement to confirm the family’s account in the reporting available.
As the family begins to rebuild after months of separation, the case will likely draw attention from local immigrant-rights groups and legal advocates monitoring conditions in federal immigration facilities and the outcomes for Mainers affected by enforcement operations.
— Nora Whitfield, State Correspondent
