A MAGA candidate who expressed support for ICE has cried foul over the deportation of a family member.
Paul LePage, the former Maine governor now running for Congress, revealed Monday that his son’s father-in-law has gotten swept up in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
LePage said the relative was in the U.S. legally but was being deported because “he’s from a country that’s not to the liking of certain people in Washington.” He did not identify the man’s country of origin or provide any other information. LePage has previously spoken of an “adopted son” from Jamaica, Devon Raymond, although Raymond was never actually adopted legally, and it’s not clear if this is who LePage was referring to.
“That’s not right,” he told reporters of the deportation. “He has a work permit. He should be allowed to stay.”
Just this week, LePage doubled down on his support for ICE.
“They have a job to do,” LePage said of immigration officers. “Now, would I go after everybody that’s here, that have work permits and have been here for decades? Probably not. I’d probably go for people in the gangs and the criminals.”
In January, as ICE operations surged in Maine and stoked outrage among locals, LePage stood by the agency.
“We all know that Mainers do not feel safe in many of our cities, and I welcome the efforts to get dangerous criminals off of our streets,” he said in a statement. “ICE is federal law enforcement and they should be treated as such. There is no need to obstruct or interfere with lawful criminal investigations. Remember: they are enforcing federal law.”
LePage joined Vice President JD Vance last month in a rally touting the supposed success of the Trump administration’s policies. The former Maine governor is also part of what the National Republican Congressional Committee has dubbed “The MAGA Majority Program,” which provides support for conservative candidates in areas where Democrats are vulnerable.
In July, immigration officers in Biddeford, Maine, killed 26-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in front of his young daughter.
Guerrero was on his way to work when ICE agents rammed his car in an attempt to execute a warrant for a final order of removal. The officers then fired several shots through the windshield of Guerrero’s car, killing him while his 3-year-old daughter, wearing Bluey pajamas, stood crying in the street. His wife was on her knees beside their daughter.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, later claimed that the officer responsible for the shooting discharged his weapon because of a concern for public safety.
In statements provided to some members of Congress, DHS claimed that Guerrero had “weaponized his vehicle toward law enforcement.” No evidence substantiating this claim has been made public.
Guerrero’s death triggered a congressional inquiry. On Tuesday, an attorney representing the victim’s family said one bullet struck an empty car seat during the July 13 incident.
The lawyer, Sean Murphy, said Guerrero’s daughter Dulce was not inside the vehicle with him at the time.
