Hundreds urge county to cancel ICE contract; commissioners schedule workshop for Sept. 29

Hundreds of residents and community advocates used a county public comment period to call for Cumberland County to cancel the contract that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees to be held in the county jail. Commissioners stopped short of ending the contract but scheduled a public workshop to gather legal, corrections and advocacy input before any formal action.

Speakers at the meeting included community members, educators and clergy who described fear in immigrant neighborhoods and asked the county to stop cooperating with ICE. Lucy Shulman, identified in public comment as a Portland resident and former English teacher, said: “You have a choice. All of you have choices.” Multiple speakers described parents and caregivers detained near schools and the resulting trauma for children.

Several speakers urged immediate cancellation of the county’s ICE contract. Miles, a Portland educator, told the board “Please end the contract,” and other speakers urged the county to use its leverage to refuse federal detainees. Reverend Dr. James Gernmenian referenced a moral obligation to protect refugees and asked commissioners to “stand against rules that hurt people.”

County leaders did not announce a contract termination. Instead, Vice Chair Smith (identified in the meeting) said at the start of an extended public comment block that the county would hold a workshop on the question on Monday, Sept. 29 at 5:30 p.m. to “present the positions of those state and county organizations that affect this decision.” County staff and commissioners said they intend to invite legal and corrections stakeholders including, the meeting record shows, the University of Maine Law School’s ILAP program and the ACLU.

Sheriff (name not given) spoke later and emphasized statutory obligations for the jail, saying, “I will follow the law. I'm not gonna violate a law. I'm a law enforcement officer.” The sheriff described standard treatment of federal detainees in the facility, noting they receive the same meals, visits and access to counsel as other inmates and that many detainees have local ties and access to legal services in Portland. He also said state statute and Department of Corrections requirements limit the county’s ability to refuse certain prisoners.

Commissioners said they want more information before deciding whether the county can legally or practically end the contract and acknowledged tradeoffs, including potential costs if the county were to refuse some federal detainees. Commissioner Jim (identified in the meeting) told the public the decision involves complex legal and operational issues and recommended the workshop to collect facts and expert input.

Why it matters: The contract governs whether ICE can use the county jail to hold people in immigration proceedings. Supporters of ending the contract argue that local incarceration for ICE undermines community trust in law enforcement and harms families; officials who emphasized legal constraints said statute and corrections policies shape what the county can do without broader state or federal action.

Action and next steps: Commissioners scheduled a Sept. 29 workshop to hear legal, corrections and advocacy perspectives and to gather data (including where detainees originate and what federal payments cover). No vote to cancel or renew the contract occurred at this meeting. The sheriff said he will continue to hold federal inmates while following state law and corrections requirements.