Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed After Portland Engineer Abducted by Federal Agents During Immigration Operation

In collaboration with the ACLU of Maine, the ACLU of the District of Columbia, the ACLU Supreme Court Intiative, and immigration attorney Jamie Wagner, Gideon filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Maine following the alleged unlawful arrest and detention of a Portland civil engineer during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation earlier this year. The lawsuit seeks to hold federal officers responsible for unconstitutional conduct under state law. 

According to the complaint, Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz, a Colombian-born engineer legally working in the United States, was stopped by federal agents on the morning of January 22, 2026, while driving to work in downtown Portland. What followed, as alleged in the filing, was a sudden and violent encounter: agents cut off his vehicle, smashed his driver’s side window, dragged him from the car, and detained him without a warrant or probable cause. 

The incident took place during “Operation Catch of the Day,” a federal immigration initiative that reportedly resulted in hundreds of arrests across Maine. The complaint alleges that many of those detained during the operation had no criminal history and were targeted without lawful justification, echoing broader concerns raised in similar civil rights cases where enforcement actions allegedly exceeded constitutional limits. 

Despite presenting identification and proof of lawful immigration status, including a valid H-1B visa, Carvajal-Muñoz was allegedly handcuffed, shackled, and transported across multiple locations in Maine before being taken to an immigration detention facility in Massachusetts. The filing further alleges that agents confirmed his lawful status during detention but continued to hold him for hours regardless, conduct that, if proven, reflects a disregard for basic constitutional protections against unlawful seizure and prolonged detention.

Over the course of approximately 15 hours, Carvajal-Muñoz was allegedly held in custody, transported with other detainees, and confined in a crowded cell before being abruptly told he was “not supposed to be there” and released without charges. He was then left to find his own way back to Maine late at night, without assistance in recovering his vehicle or personal belongings.

The lawsuit asserts multiple constitutional violations, including unlawful stop and seizure, warrantless arrest without probable cause, excessive use of force, discrimination based on race or ethnicity, and prolonged detention in violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. It seeks compensatory damages for the physical, emotional, and financial harm caused, as well as punitive damages to deter similar conduct in the future. 

Read the official complaint here.

A detailed case timeline is available here.

This filing highlights the real-world consequences of constitutional violations and reflects the importance of standing up for those rights and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable. The right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, the right to equal protection under the law, and the requirement that government actors operate within legal bounds are not abstract principles, they are protections that apply to every person.