Man detained by ICE loses car to towing during 80-day detention
Nov 18, 2025·Location: Scarborough, ME
Country of origin: Angola

Manuel Ndongala, an asylum seeker from Angola, was detained by ICE on November 18, 2025, during what he expected to be a routine check-in at the Scarborough, Maine ICE office. His car was left in the office parking lot and was towed under Maine's abandoned vehicle law while he was detained for over 80 days. The incident prompted Maine's Secretary of State to temporarily adjust the state's process for transferring ownership of abandoned vehicles to better protect detained immigrants.
Sources
More incidents in Maine
- Maine ICE observer detained at border after being wrongly added to DHS databaseOct 2, 2026 · Portland, ME
- Congolese asylum seeker, jail officer, detained by ICE at routine check-inSep 22, 2026 · Scarborough, ME
- Angolan bank worker arrested by ICE in Lewiston parking lot, judge blocks removalSep 4, 2026 · Lewiston, ME
- Corrections officer with valid work permit detained by ICE in South PortlandAug 28, 2026 · South Portland, ME
- Cumberland County corrections officer detained by ICE in South PortlandAug 27, 2026 · South Portland, ME
- Cumberland County corrections officer from Angola detained by ICE, sheriff praises himAug 23, 2026 · Portland, ME