Hundreds of public commenters urge Cumberland County to end ICE contract; commissioners schedule data review, approve several county contracts

Hundreds of residents packed the Cumberland County Commission chambers to urge commissioners to terminate the county’s contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to stop accepting ICE detainees at the county jail. Public comment lasted more than two hours; speakers included residents, teachers and legal advocates who described fear in immigrant communities and urged immediate action. Commissioners said they will schedule a policy workshop and gather more data before acting. The commission took several formal votes on unrelated county business, approving labor and vendor contracts for jail operations.

Speakers said the county can end the contract quickly and that cooperation with ICE is harming community trust. “Please end the contract with ICE and do not provide,” said Deborah McNally, describing the harm she said detention causes to immigrant neighbors. Nancy Markowitz, who said she has followed recent local detentions, offered a different view on where detainees should be held: “I don’t believe that ending the contract with the Cumberland County Jail would have any impact on any of that,” she said, arguing that keeping people locally can improve access to attorneys and family.

Legal and procedural questions were raised by Margot Lavoy, a University of Maine School of Law student: “Nothing under federal law requires Cumberland County to hold ICE detainees at the jail,” she told the commission, and she pointed to contract language she said could be changed by “unchecking this box” in the county’s contract forms. Several speakers repeated that claim and urged commissioners to bring the question to a vote in August. Todd Kretion asked the commission to move faster than the clerk’s proposed September hearing date: “Schedule the public hearing so that the commission can take the vote expeditiously.”

Commissioners said they will pursue additional information before making a decision. Commissioner remarks at the end of the meeting said staff would collect more detailed intake data — including where detainees originated and legal basis for detention — and that the board will host an interactive workshop with legal and academic experts to explore options and implications. Sheriff Michael Joyce confirmed outside groups including the Maine Immigration Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), the University of Southern Maine law clinic and the ACLU have been given access to detainees and that the sheriff’s office is working on ways to document intake and arrest records more consistently. The sheriff also said the average length of stay for an ICE detainee at the county jail is about 20.9 days.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (June 16): motion passed, unanimous. The meeting record shows the clerk called for approval and commissioners voted “Aye.”

- Consent agenda (items 25062–25082): motion passed, unanimous. The board approved the listed consent items after no member requested removal from the list.

- Adoption of successor collective bargaining agreement with the Cumberland County Association: motion passed. Commissioners moved and seconded the agreement and voted to adopt it.

- Change order with Landry French Construction for renovation of the old jail medical facility: motion passed. Commissioners authorized the county manager or designee to execute the change order; one commissioner praised the contractor’s work and noted use of contingency funds to make adjustments.

- Authorization for the county manager to contract with Armor Health of Cumberland County LLC for jail medical services: motion passed. Commissioners discussed the item as a major budgetary expense (about $4.3 million noted in discussion) and approved the authorization.

What public commenters said and asked

Speakers described fear among immigrant families, classroom disruptions for students, and difficulty for detained people to secure legal counsel when they are moved out of state. “We don’t want our tax dollars to support the illegal and devastating actions being taken by ICE,” Deborah McNally said. Several teachers and school staff recounted students missing school because families feared apprehension. “I have 11-year-olds coming to me crying, asking me if I will hide them in my office if ICE shows up at school,” said Cassidy Stevenson, a Portland public-school employee. Several speakers urged an immediate vote to cancel the contract; others urged careful review to ensure termination would not worsen outcomes for detainees.

Legal and procedural details raised in public comment

Speakers cited contract clauses and state law in arguing that the county can stop accepting ICE detainees. Margot Lavoy, a law student, said sections of the county’s contract and a standard form field (referred to in public comment as “Box 19, ‘other author agency users’ ”) can be changed to prevent out‑of‑state or federal transfers. She also said a provision sometimes cited by law enforcement — described in public comment as a Maine statute (cited in the meeting as “section 15 54”) — does not require county jails to accept ICE detainees but addresses treatment parity for federal prisoners when they are in local custody. Commenters referenced detainer practice and a Massachusetts court ruling to question whether holding someone for an ICE detainer is authorized by state law.

County operations and staffing details discussed by officials

At the meeting close, staff updates included corrections hiring progress and jail staffing targets. County staff reported active correction officers were expected to reach 86 by Aug. 4 (up from a low of 58 in 2022) while the new budget calls for 97 positions. County Manager and finance staff also briefed the board on contract negotiations and other administrative items. Sheriff Joyce said the jail continues to provide access to legal groups and is working to capture better intake documentation to supply to the board.

Why it matters

Commenters framed the issue as a matter of public safety, due process and basic community trust. They asked the county to use its local authority to withdraw cooperation or to limit detention operations tied to ICE, asserting that local action would reduce the reach of federal enforcement in the county or at least signal local resistance. Commissioners said they recognize the intensity of public feeling and will collect additional data and host an interactive workshop involving legal and academic experts before taking any formal step to alter the contract.

Ending note

The meeting ended with the board approving the listed county contracts and agreeing to gather more documentation and hold a policy workshop. Commissioners then moved into an executive session to discuss labor negotiations and related personnel matters. The county did not announce a vote to terminate the ICE contract at that meeting; several public speakers pressed for a near-term public hearing and a vote.