Cambodian man detained by ICE while working at Portland, Maine market
Aug 20, 2026·Location: Portland, ME
Country of origin: Cambodia

ICE agents detained a Cambodian man Tuesday morning while he was working at Veranda Asian Market in Woodfords Corner, Portland, Maine. His name has not been publicly released, but Khmer Maine, a nonprofit in contact with him, described him as "quiet, kind and a hard worker." Marpheen Chann, executive director of Khmer Maine, said the arrest has sparked fear in local Asian immigrant communities and is "hurting Maine's local economy and making our communities feel less safe." Khmer Maine says it is working with his family and immigration advocates to ensure transparency. ICE has not released statistics on its recent operations in Maine, though national ICE detention numbers reached a record high of more than 65,000 last month.
Timeline
Sources
- Man detained by ICE while working in Portland
WGME·Aug 20, 2026·archived copy
- ICE arrests market employee in Portland, according to Cambodian community organization
mainepublic.org·Aug 20, 2026·archived copy
- Cambodian rights group demands answers after Maine man detained by ICE
WGME·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
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