A pastor from Westbrook is being held at a New Hampshire prison after he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week.
According to the Portland Press Herald, Michel Tshimankinda, a local church pastor, was picking up his wife from her workplace when ICE agents came over and demanded identification in the parking lot.
The agents then reportedly escorted the couple back to their home and took Tshimankinda into custody.
Tshimankinda is accused of overstaying a temporary visa in 2016.
According to the Press Herald, Tshimankinda’s daughter said that her family arrived in the U.S. around 2016 on temporary visas and immediately applied for asylum before their documentation expired. She told the paper that it allowed them to obtain legal identification and work permits.
The Press Herald reported that an ICE spokesperson didn’t mention whether Tshimankinda had applied for asylum, and he didn’t provide information on whether that would have mattered to ICE.
