Former Maine Governor Paul LePage, a prominent Republican supporter of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, has appealed to federal authorities to halt the deportation of a relative who he says is legally living and working in the United States.

LePage said his son’s father-in-law has a valid work authorisation permit and should therefore be allowed to remain in the country, despite being targeted for removal by federal immigration authorities.

“That’s not right,” LePage said, insisting that the man “has a work permit” and should be permitted to stay.

The former governor, who is seeking a seat in the US House of Representatives and has made tougher border enforcement a major part of his campaign, said he believed the deportation case was linked to the man’s country of origin.

The case places LePage’s personal appeal alongside the broader immigration enforcement policies he supports, highlighting the complications that can arise when sweeping immigration measures affect individuals with legal documentation and family connections inside the United States.

The dispute comes amid intensified immigration enforcement in Maine following the deployment of additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents by the Trump administration earlier this year.

Tensions over the federal operation escalated in July after an ICE agent fatally shot a 25-year-old Colombian national, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, during an enforcement operation in Biddeford. Federal authorities said agents opened fire after Guerrero attempted to flee in his vehicle.

The development was reported by The Independent, citing an earlier report by The Washington Post.