ICE increases security at Scarborough facility amid vandalism, armed protests

SCARBOROUGH, Maine (WMTW) - Vandalism and the presence of near-daily protesters, some of them armed, have led to increased security at the Scarborough ICE facility, according to a spokesperson for the agency.

There has been a small group of protesters outside the Scarborough facility ever since ICE agent David Brouillette shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian father, when he was leaving for work in Biddeford last July.

According to the lawyer for Guerrero’s widow and members of Maine’s congressional delegation, Guerrero was not the intended target of the ICE operation and was in the U.S. under a valid federal work authorization.

Nearly four months after his death, ICE observers still have a presence outside the agency’s facility on Manson Libby Road in Scarborough. Some are monitoring the movements of agents in and out of the facility and sharing that information on social media. Others are calling for the prosecution of Brouillette and “abolishing” ICE entirely, arguing that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is unlawful and is spreading fear within immigrant communities in Maine.

Those fears were cited by the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition on Monday, when the organization notified community members that recent sightings of “several new vehicles” arriving at the Scarborough facility were assigned to building security, not immigration enforcement.

“We understand that any increase in immigration enforcement presence can cause fear and uncertainty,” wrote Ruben Torres, the director of advocacy and policy at the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition. “We are sharing this update to provide context and help community members distinguish this change in Scarborough ICE building security from broader enforcement activity.”

Democratic congresswoman Chellie Pingree took to Facebook to share a similar message, writing that security had increased specifically because of armed protesters.

“Mainers deserve to know what’s happening in their communities and I’m continuing to monitor the situation closely,” wrote Rep. Pingree. “Maine has endured too much chaos and violence at the hands of this rogue, unaccountable agency already.”

On Tuesday, at least one protester could be seen outside the Scarborough facility with a firearm. Open carry is legal in Maine, assuming the firearm holder is legally allowed to possess one.

A spokesperson for ICE told WMTW Tuesday that the agency’s officers are “under constant threat from violent agitators.” The spokesperson claimed that there have been six different occasions of vandalism at the Scarborough facility in the past three months.

ICE would not disclose whether the agency had plans for increased enforcement operations in Maine, citing “operational security purposes.”