Lincoln County emergency management staff told commissioners they chose not to submit an application for the FY26 federal Homeland Security grant after reviewing new terms and conditions that, they said, would have required local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The county’s emergency management representative told the commissioners the grant’s updated language would “require us that we will honor requests for cooperation such as participation in joint operations, sharing of information, or requests for short term detention of an alien pursuant to a valid detainer.” The staff member said that clause on page four was a “nonstarter” for the county and that, on that basis, they did not apply before the short application deadline.

The decision matters because the county had identified projects that would have used grant funds, including replacement generators for communications towers and equipment for law enforcement drug analysis. The staff member listed the tower generator replacements and a regional narcotics testing system among projects that “were going to be really intricate,” and said the grant amount changes year to year based on federal allocation and population-based distribution.

County staff said the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), which receives the federal award and distributes funds to local subgrantees, would also have to accept the new terms, and that the Maine attorney general’s office is contesting aspects of the grant language on behalf of the state. Staff said MEMA had reached out to verify the county’s non-submission was deliberate and not a technical error; the county informed MEMA it was a “philosophical decision.”

Commissioners asked whether the state had been notified of the change; staff replied the county learned of the clause only upon reading the released grant materials and that MEMA had not highlighted it when forwarding the opportunity. Staff also warned commissioners to expect similar language in other federally aligned grants distributed through MEMA, noting the county will monitor future solicitations and keep the board informed.

The county did not take a formal vote related to the grant; the staff action was an administrative decision not to submit under the new terms. Staff said they alerted peer counties before the Sunday application deadline so others could be aware of the change.

Staffers said they will continue to track the attorney general’s challenge and other developments at the state level and will update commissioners if the terms are altered or if MEMA changes its distribution language.