Residents Press County to End ICE Cooperation; Sheriff Says Office Will Not Join 287(g) Program

Several dozen residents and community members told the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners they want local authorities to stop cooperating with federal immigration enforcement, saying recent arrests have frightened immigrant families and disrupted schools and local services.

The speakers — including educators, health-care providers, immigrant-advocacy volunteers and State Rep. Grayson Lookner — said federal immigration actions have led to people being stopped or taken from public places, and they asked the county to refuse participation and to protect due process for people in the community.

“The government has put its finger on black and brown people, especially if they have accents,” said Todd Kreeshen, a Portland resident. “We will not allow that. We will stand up and find a way.”

Nut graf: The public comments, which dominated the meeting’s public-comment period, pressed county leaders to end county cooperation with ICE holds and detainers and to ensure local police and the sheriff’s office do not become extensions of federal deportation operations. Speakers described localized examples — traffic stops near schools, family members taken to out-of-state detention centers, and widespread fear that is affecting school attendance and social services.

Sheriff Kevin Joyce responded directly at the commissioners’ request. He told the meeting the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office would not sign up for the 287(g) program, a federal program that deputizes local officers for certain immigration tasks.

“The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office will not be partaking in 287(g)s,” Sheriff Joyce said. He added that local officers lack the training and legal framework to enforce federal immigration law the way federal agents do and that county jails have long held federal inmates, including U.S. Marshals and ICE detainees, under existing court processes.

Sheriff Joyce also described the county’s current practice: when federal authorities present lawful custody documentation, county deputies accept custody; in other routine arrests, county officers enforce state law and leave immigration matters to federal authorities. He disputed claims that the county is holding individuals without due process and said detainees appear in federal proceedings.

Several speakers cited numbers gathered by local advocates. “There are between 60 and 100 people being detained in Cumberland County on behalf of ICE,” said Bridal McQuade, citing ACLU public-records requests and immigrant legal advocates. Sheriff Joyce later said the jail typically holds about 60 ICE-related detainees at a time and about 100 federal inmates overall, and that due process hearings are being held.

Commissioners did not adopt new policy during the meeting. Several members offered to meet with community representatives to discuss concerns and options; the meeting chair asked those who wished to follow up to provide contact information so commissioners could coordinate next steps. “I’ll need to talk to the commissioners before I can make that response,” the chair said when asked about setting a follow-up meeting.

Ending: Commissioners concluded the public-comment portion of the meeting after Sheriff Joyce’s remarks and acknowledged ongoing community concern. No formal vote to change county policy on immigration enforcement was taken during the session; members asked staff to follow up on requests for additional information and to consider scheduling a future discussion.