Portland, Maine — Masked federal agents detained a civil engineer with legal work authorization in downtown Portland on Thursday morning, leaving behind a running vehicle with a smashed window, according to witnesses and video from the scene.
Juan Sebastian Carvajal-Munoz, a Colombian national employed by GEI Consultants, was stopped just after 9 a.m. near Pearl Street by agents wearing police-style vests. Bystanders said the agents broke a window of the gray Hyundai Tucson he was driving and then left the vehicle running in the street after taking him into custody. A passerby later moved the car into a nearby parking lot.
The detention occurred during what Immigration and Customs Enforcement has labeled “Operation Catch of the Day,” a statewide enforcement action in Maine that ICE claims targets the “worst of the worst” criminal offenders. However, background checks reviewed by local outlets found no criminal record for Carvajal-Munoz, who colleagues say has been in the U.S. legally on a work visa.
He is at least the third individual detained in Maine during the operation who reportedly lacks a criminal history. ICE has said it arrested 50 people statewide but has publicly identified only a fraction of those detainees. The agency did not immediately respond to questions about Carvajal-Munoz’s case.
Colleagues described Carvajal-Munoz as a respected professional and University of Maine graduate with a strong academic and work record. Maine Gov. Janet Mills criticized the enforcement tactics, saying secretive detentions undermine public trust. Local police confirmed they responded to the scene but were told it was a federal matter beyond their authority.
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