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Community
THE "STORY"
continued from page 1
dream. Juan had volunteered to be the subject of my story about a Mexican immigrant, one who benefited from the opportunity to work in a small town in America while contributing his experience to the enrichment of the commu- nity.
When we met, Juan would greet me with a smile and an as- sertive handshake. He was cour- teous and creatively used a small item of advanced technology to simultaneously translate his Spanish to English and my En- glish to Spanish. To help further, on one occasion, he phoned his wife, who spoke to me in perfect English. So we were making prog- ress until the afternoon of April 9th, a day after our last meet- ing. On that day, a Wednesday, “Juan’s restaurant” was raided by the State Police, assisted by local police. Juan was arrested. As I write this story, Juan is being held in a New Hampshire de- tention center (Strafford County Correctional Facility) contracted by the Department of Homeland Security to imprison immigrants
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
May 2025
  Strafford County Correctional Facility
A local police lieutenant, who was running the village department in the temporary absence of the chief at the time of the “raid”, was friendly and courteous as he responded to my questions, but could tell me only that the local involvement was “standard procedure” to as- sist the State Police. He referred me to the State Police officer who apparently facilitated the raid. I contacted that officer. He
emailed me that I would have to “reach out to Troop F lead- ership” to learn more. I did so, and “Troop F leadership” told me they could not speak about the matter and to contact the New Hampshire Department of Safety. I did so. The New Hamp- shire DOS spokesperson was quite forthcoming and emailed me that “the subject had been arrested for operating a motor vehicle prohibitively, but then re- leased on his own recognizance”. I could not find out where the release took place, but appar- ently Immigration Enforcement was on the scene to rearrest Juan immediately. Was this simply a “hand over,” such as a remand, or did ICE have to struggle to seize Juan? Was he rearrested on the same vehicle violation? If so, was this double jeopardy...(a vi- olation of the 5th Amendment)?
A few days into my search, the local police chief who had been away at the time of the raid re- turned to his post. He issued the following message about Juan’s arrest. “There was no ICE raid. The State Police took custody of the individual for state charges,
who have somehow violated the terms of their temporary status as legal U.S. residents. I have tried to reach Juan, but he is being held incommunicado. The prison usually allows access from visitors, but there are roadblocks to get to inmates being processed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. My questions to that facility about the charges against him have not been an-
swered. I have talked as well with the local police, and State Police involved in the raid. And I have tried unsuccessfully to find my way through the communication labyrinth crafted by the Immi- gration and Customs Enforce- ment Authority. Here are some of the details of the twists and turns in my circuitous journey through the winding vestibules of current enforcement procedures.
 




















































































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