Lewiston, Maine, the state’s second most populous city, has been dealing with a frightening amount of youth gun violence. The police reported that there have been 35 gun-related incidents so far in 2026, 22 of those involving juveniles.
The city is home to a sizable population of Somali refugees. There are also refugees from other African nations, too.
LEWISTON, Maine — A New England city transformed by an influx of refugees and immigrants is now grappling with a youth gun violence crisis after police reported 35 gun-related incidents this year, 22 involving juveniles.
“I don’t feel safe. I fear for my life,” Mohamed Muhumed, a Lewiston teenager, told Fox News Digital. “I saw someone get punched in the middle of the sidewalk over there. It’s crazy.”
The city, Maine’s second most populous and home to a large population of refugees from Somali and other African nations, is experiencing a serious youth gun violence problem.
“Lewiston Police Chief Carly Conley called gun violence ‘one of the most serious public safety challenges’ facing the city,” Fox News reported.
The police are consistent in arresting the offending youth who commit gun violence, but they are continually being released by the courts.
Rick LaChapelle, a Republican running for Mayor of Lewiston, explained that the police have been doing a good job of making arrests. He explained “It’s been a one-party rule forever that has instilled the rules that there’s no accountability.”
The current Mayor is Democrat Carl Sheline,. He has been outspoken against ICE operations in Maine.
There hasn’t been any official data by the city or the police department that ties Somali residents to the increase in violence, but Mayoral candidate Rick LaChapelle observed, “that seems to be who’s being arrested right now.”
One of the residents claimed that it was the general youth and not specifically Somalis. Another claimed it was tied to poverty within the city.
The city of Lewiston has been a focal point for fraud scandals involving the federal and state Medicaid program in Maine.
Lewiston’s demographics have changed significantly over the past 25 years, with a mass influx of Somalis into the city.
The city has one of the highest per capita Muslim populations in the US. It mostly consists of Somali refugees and refugees from other African countries.
Watch:
Lewiston, Maine, is grappling with a youth gun violence crisis — 22 of 35 gun-related incidents this year involved juveniles, most of them repeat offenders.
City officials approved $200,000 in additional police overtime funding, but critics say the real problem is a juvenile justice system that releases violent teens almost immediately after arrest.
The surge has reignited a fierce immigration debate in the city, which is home to one of the highest per capita Muslim populations in the country, largely Somali refugees who began arriving a quarter century ago.
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