Lincoln County sheriff says office will not enforce ICE administrative detainers; public raises concerns about ICE arrests and regional jail

Sheriff Todd Brackett told the Lincoln County Commissioners on June 3 that the county’s law-enforcement role does not include enforcing federal immigration administrative warrants or detainers and that local deputies have been instructed not to participate in ICE administrative enforcement.

Brackett said the sheriff’s office will respond to and enforce criminal warrants and court orders but will not “get involved in administrative warrants, detainers, things of that nature.” He explained that routine law-enforcement checks use national databases that can show immigration-related flags, but said those flags would not drive administrative detainer actions by his deputies.

The sheriff described Lincoln County’s participation in Operation Stone Garden, a federally funded border-security grant, as focused on traffic enforcement, harbor checks and providing additional patrols. “The only expectation is that we report our activity for the day,” he said, adding that federal partners do not direct local tactics or tell deputies where to go.

Two members of the public pressed the commissioners and the sheriff on the county’s relationship with ICE. Heather Ellsworth, who identified herself as a Warren resident, said she is “very in favor of separating Maine law enforcement from any collaboration with ICE and Border Patrol.” She asked what, if any, county agreements exist and whether deputies cross-reference traffic stops with ICE. Brackett replied: “We have no interest in participating with ICE, and immigration enforcement. I’ve directed my staff ... we’re not gonna get involved in administrative warrants, detainers.”

Another attendee identified in public comment as Miss Elliott described recent arrests in Portland and criticized federal immigration enforcement. Elliott also expressed broader concerns about potential protest-related unrest and asked what the county would do if federal funding were withheld in retaliation for noncooperation. Commissioners and the sheriff said they could not forecast specific responses to hypothetical future funding actions and that any fiscal impacts would be evaluated if they occurred.

Several factual clarifications were offered during the meeting. Brackett said the county currently has 164 people at 2 Bridges Regional Jail; 19 of those, he said, were being held at the time “for ICE.” He said the person who had been at 2 Bridges the shortest time had been there 38 days and that the county has an agreement with federal authorities limiting the number of ICE detainees housed at the facility. Brackett also noted that the jail authority — which operates 2 Bridges Regional Jail and is co-owned by Lincoln and Saugahawk counties — has its own governance structure and that county commissioners do not handle day-to-day operations of the authority.

Brackett said the jail receives payments set by federal authorities (the U.S. Marshals Service for federal inmates) and reiterated that Lincoln County will not house persons at 2 Bridges solely on administrative immigration warrants: “They have to be charged with a crime.”

Public commenters referenced ongoing statewide legislative activity (LD 1259 was mentioned by name during comments) that would limit local cooperation with ICE; county officials said they were monitoring state and federal developments. Brackett said the sheriff’s office has provided information in response to a public-records request from the ACLU about recent stops and arrests and described the number of traffic stops involving people “from away” as “very minimal.”

The discussion closed with an invitation from commissioners to members of the public to attend the next meeting of the 2 Bridges Jail Authority on July 9 at 4 p.m. at the jail; Brackett emphasized the authority’s separate role in operating the facility.