By Corrections1 News Staff
PORTLAND, Maine — A Cumberland County corrections recruit who spent more than a month in federal immigration custody has returned to Maine and resumed training, with plans to soon begin working at the county jail.
Emmanuel Landila’s arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents drew national attention after cellphone video captured the moment he was pulled from his vehicle in his neighborhood, WMTW reported.
“I am a corrections officer! I work in Cumberland County!” Landila can be heard shouting in the video as agents placed him into an SUV.
| EARLIER REPORT: Maine sheriff condemns ICE’s arrest of corrections recruit
The arrest occurred during ICE’s “Operation Catch of the Day” on Jan. 21, 2026. After taking Landila into custody, agents left his vehicle on the roadside with its lights on and windows down — an action that drew sharp criticism from Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce.
“That’s bush league policing,” Joyce said at the time, criticizing agents for failing to secure the vehicle or make arrangements for it to be safely removed.
Joyce said Landila had been hired in February 2025 following a thorough background check and vetting process. According to the sheriff, Landila’s employment documentation indicated he was authorized to work in the United States through April 2029.
“Every indication we found is that this was a squeaky-clean individual that really hadn’t done anything at all,” Joyce said.
Landila spent more than a month in a Massachusetts jail before an immigration judge granted his release on bond in March. His family raised nearly $20,000 through an online fundraiser to cover legal expenses.
Following his release, Landila returned to Maine and is now completing training at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. He is scheduled to graduate on May 4 and is expected to begin his duties at the Cumberland County Jail following his graduation.
Joyce said Landila is expected to be a strong addition to the Cumberland County Jail staff, noting that recruits with multilingual skills are especially valuable: “Most of the folks that I’ve hired who are new Americans can speak three, four, five languages. We have people coming through the jail who speak other languages, so they’re a huge asset.”
