Jinx Aesthel

Ryan: to get a skeleton, a nintendo charger, and a sex toy?

Many of you may have seen the horrific news out of Biddeford, Maine today: Joan Sebastian Guerrero, an innocent 26 year old man on his way to work, was murdered by ICE agents—reportedly in front of his family, including his young child. While there is no world in which anything would justify this act, reports indicate that ICE agents stopped the wrong vehicle while attempting to execute an arrest warrant; Guerrero was not the target of this warrant. He committed no crimes, was legally authorized to live and work in the US, and was murdered in the street where his body was left for more than five hours.

While Maine experienced a surge in ICE activity at the beginning of the year, national coverage of this activity ceased when out-of-state agents retreated. ICE activity did not stop here in Maine, as made very clear by today's events.

The Maine Solidarity Fund was created last year by a collective of frontline organizations, cultural anchors, and direct service providers with deep ties to Maine’s Black and Brown immigrant and trans communities. The fund was designed to provide rapid-response funding to members of our most targeted communities. Since the fund's creation, well over $1,000,000 has been distributed to nearly 500 immigrant and trans Mainers.

Prior to today's events, the fund was running very low. Donations have begun to pick up in the aftermath of this shooting, but more are desperately needed. The organizations at the heart of the MSF are in contact with Guerrero's family and are at the helm of the state's anti-ICE structures and initiatives, including upcoming actions related to this shooting.

To those wishing to support immigrant communities in Maine, donating to the Maine Solidarity Fund is a wonderful way to do so.

(Please note that on the donation page, you may see that we've raised more than $1,000,000 out of our $2,000,000 goal. Almost all of what's been raised has been distributed—that number does not reflect funds currently available.)

Other important resources tied to the MSF and affiliated organizations include:

The Maine Immigrant Defense Hotline: A statewide and community-led rapid response and resource network providing real-time information, safety monitoring, and mutual aid for immigrant communities across Maine.

LighthouseME: A statewide resource hub connecting immigrant communities with trusted services and support.

Today I woke up to my roommates dog excessively barking, so something was clearly wrong. As I got out of bed, my roommate came back home from getting me a birthday coffee with a blank expression. She then told me that on her walk to our favorite coffee shop, ICE just shot a man in the face right down the street of our little town.

We protest, we chant, we vote. But when will change actually happen?

I always struggle with my birthday because its another year older, and I spend another year mouring my dads, mourning them longer than I ever got to know them.

Today, a 3 year old girl was in the car when her father was senselessly killed in front of her.

That is going to be the last memory she has of her father. Shes going to be 4 and remember that. She will turn 18, graduate high school and remember that. She is going to turn 26, the age her dad was when he was murdered, and remember that. And one day, she'll be 27, older than her dad, and remember that.

Losing a parent never really goes away, and I cannot image the grief this family must be experiencing right now, to witness your loved one be taken from you in such a violent and senseless manner.

To learn that Joan Sebastain Guerrero was not the man ICE was even looking for. That he was in this country legally, with a social security number, that his last words were "I was trying to stop".

This is a disgusting act of violence brought on such a hardworking community. I love Biddeford, I love Maine, and nothing like this has happened in our community before. After they reopened the Pool & Hill street, I had to drive to work, and his blood is still. on. the. street.

His blood is still on the street.

I go to work, I tell customers oh its my birthday trying to get a higher tip percentage, and my tires drove over the blood of an innocent man to get here, sucking up to fat rich folks as a 3 year old girl in Bluey pjs just lost her father. I feel sick.

All this violence for what? Is America great now?

It would be an honor and a blessing if you could look into the work of Project Relief Maine, a non-profit that works with immigrants and provides emergency aid. Please, please keep Joan Sebastain Guerrero's family in your thoughts.