On a quiet Thursday morning in August, tragedy struck the small town of Gray, Maine, when Stacy Strattard, a beloved local business owner and grandmother, was killed in a pedestrian-vehicle crash. The incident, which occurred on August 16, 2025, in nearby New Gloucester, has reignited a fierce national conversation about immigration enforcement and the risks associated with visa overstays.
According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Strattard, 64, was crossing a road when she was struck by a 2016 Ford Fusion driven by Mukendi Mbiya, a 49-year-old Angolan national. First responders pronounced Strattard dead at the scene. The loss sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Maine community, where Strattard had made a name for herself as the co-owner of Birchwood Brewing, a cherished local gathering spot she opened in 2019 with her son, Andrew Sanborn, and close friend, Wesley Hewey.
Strattard’s obituary paints a portrait of a woman whose warmth and generosity left a lasting imprint on all who knew her. “Stacy had a remarkable gift for making everyone feel welcome. With her radiant smile and open arms, she greeted friends and strangers alike as though they were family,” the obituary reads. It goes on to describe her love for gardening, floating in her pool, and spending time outdoors with her faithful dog, Blanche. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, mother, siblings, and a host of extended family, friends, and colleagues.
The circumstances surrounding Strattard’s death, however, have become the focus of national attention. As Breitbart News and Fox News report, Mbiya had entered the United States on a B-2 tourist visa on December 23, 2018. His visa required him to leave the country by June 22, 2019, but he never did. For over six years, Mbiya remained in the U.S. illegally, one of millions of so-called “visa overstays” who have failed to depart as required by federal law. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), roughly half of the estimated 11 to 22 million undocumented immigrants in the United States are believed to be visa overstays.
Following the fatal crash, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Mbiya on August 18, 2025, for violating the terms of his visa. At this time, local law enforcement has not charged Mbiya with a crime related to the crash, and the investigation remains ongoing. Police have stated that Mbiya was not impaired at the time of the incident.
This was not the only fatal pedestrian accident involving a visa overstay in Maine that week. In Lewiston, a city roughly 30 miles north of Gray, Elizabeth Camacho, a Massachusetts resident, was killed after being hit by a vehicle driven by Lionel Francisco, another Angolan national who had overstayed a B-2 tourist visa. According to a DHS press release, Francisco entered the U.S. on January 30, 2025, with permission to stay until July 30. He failed to leave and was reportedly driving with only a learner’s permit when his car “jumped the curb” in Kennedy Park, striking and killing Camacho. ICE arrested Francisco on August 15, 2025, and local authorities are reportedly pursuing criminal charges in connection with Camacho’s death.
These two tragedies have sparked heated debate among policymakers, law enforcement, and the public. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin addressed the incidents directly, highlighting what she described as a disturbing trend. “It seems to be almost a daily occurrence where an illegal alien driving kills innocent Americans,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “All of these deaths are preventable because these illegal aliens should have NEVER been in our country. These two illegal aliens in Maine came to the country on B-2 tourist visas that allowed them to remain in the country for six months. Both overstayed their visas and never left the U.S.”
McLaughlin went on to underscore the administration’s commitment to reforming the visa system: “President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem are committed to restoring integrity to our visa programs to ensure they are not exploited by illegal aliens as one-way tickets to remain in the U.S.”
The issue of visa overstays has long been a point of contention in the broader immigration debate. Critics argue that the federal government’s inability to track and remove individuals who overstay their visas undermines the rule of law and poses risks to public safety. Supporters of stricter enforcement point to cases like those of Strattard and Camacho as evidence that the system is broken and in urgent need of reform.
Others caution against drawing sweeping conclusions from individual tragedies. Some community members and immigration advocates emphasize that the vast majority of visa overstays do not commit violent crimes and that traffic accidents, while devastating, occur across all segments of society. They argue that focusing solely on immigration status may obscure broader issues related to road safety, driver education, and infrastructure.
Still, the emotional impact of Strattard’s death is undeniable. Birchwood Brewing, the business she helped build from the ground up, has become a focal point for community mourning. Friends, customers, and family members have gathered to remember her spirit, her generosity, and her love for bringing people together. “Her greatest pride was always her family, whom she loved fiercely and unconditionally,” her obituary notes. The brewery remains a testament to her legacy, a place where, as her loved ones put it, “Stacy’s warmth and spirit can always be felt.”
As investigations continue into both fatal crashes, questions remain about what more could have been done to prevent these tragedies. Law enforcement officials are examining the circumstances of each incident, including the drivers’ immigration status, driving records, and compliance with local and federal laws. Meanwhile, ICE and DHS have reiterated their commitment to identifying and removing visa overstays, promising renewed scrutiny of temporary visa holders nationwide.
The deaths of Stacy Strattard and Elizabeth Camacho have left two families grieving and two Maine communities searching for answers. While the debate over immigration enforcement and visa policy is certain to continue, the lives lost serve as a somber reminder of the real-world consequences that can arise when systems fail—and of the enduring bonds that unite families and neighbors in the face of loss.
