ICE arrests operator of midcoast Maine market

FRIENDSHIP, Maine — A federal judge has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to relocate a Friendship man who ICE agents arrested Saturday.

Dhavalkumar Kalidas Patel was seized by four ICE agents at Wallace’s Market, which Patel and his wife operate on Harbor Road in Friendship.

His wife said the agents did not say why he was being taken away in handcuffs.

Attorney Audrey Richardson of Greater Boston Legal Services filed a motion for habeas corpus, meaning he is to be brought to a court in person.

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts issued an emergency order hours after Patel was seized that prohibits him from being moved elsewhere.

“To provide a fair opportunity for the judge who will be randomly assigned to this case to review the merits of the petition and to rule on any contested issues of jurisdiction, unless otherwise ordered by the assigned judge, respondents will not remove the petitioner from the jurisdiction of the United States or transfer petitioner to a judicial district outside that of Massachusetts for a period of at least 72 hours from the time this Order is docketed,” Talwani wrote.

Patel is being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The petition filed by the attorney representing Patel argues that he is being held unlawfully.

No further hearing dates have been scheduled, but the federal government has until July 6 to file a response.

Richardson issued a statement on the arrest.

“This is another example of ICE illegally and illegitimately taking someone who is working hard to support their family,” she said, including a child born in the United States. “The family is a critical part of the fabric of a small community.”

The Patels have operated the store since 2024. The attorney said ICE agents initially did not even identify themselves. They did not say where he was being taken but he was allowed to make a call when they stopped in Scarborough.

Rob Sample, a customer of the store, said he could not understand why such an action was taken.

“We appreciate them,” he said of the Patel family, adding that they work hard to provide a community service by operating the store.

Knox County Sheriff Patrick Polky said ICE notified his department after its action. He noted the agency is not required to notify the department.

Patel is a native of India.

This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.