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Resident urges Lincoln County not to cooperate with ICE without judicial warrants; sheriff’s office says detainees at regional facility have criminal records
Summary
During public comment, Damariscotta resident Carol Florman urged the county not to cooperate with ICE unless deputies have a judicial warrant charging a specific crime; sheriff's office staff replied that current detainees at the regional facility were being held on criminal charges and that the county is not arresting on administrative ICE warrants.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Carol Florman of Damariscotta urged county officials not to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless deputies present a judicial warrant charging a specific crime.
Florman said she hosts two legally present Afghan students and expressed concern that local cooperation with ICE can result in arrests of people who are not criminals. She called for local law enforcement to limit cooperation to cases where a judicial warrant exists and a person has been charged with a crime and had the opportunity for a hearing.
Sheriff’s office staff responded in the meeting and said they had been receiving calls and emails about enforcement activity. The sheriff’s office stated on the record that the county’s detainee population at the regional facility (referred to in the meeting as Two Bridges) included ICE detainees who, according to the sheriff’s office, were at the facility because of criminal convictions and that the county has a directive confirming it is not arresting people on administrative ICE warrants or holding people at Two Bridges on administrative warrants.
Why it matters: The exchange highlights community concerns about immigration enforcement and the limits of county law‑enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Residents asked for clarity about when local deputies would interact with ICE agents.
Key excerpts (verbatim)
"I am a host parent of 2 foreign students, both of whom are here legally on valid visas... they lose their temporary protected status. And I'm terrified..." — Carol Florman, public commenter
"Those ICE detainees are there... those people clearly have criminal records and they're they're in the purpose of being deported because of their criminal history. So we're not there's there's no administrative people being held at 2 Bridges." — Sheriff’s Office representative
Follow up: Commissioners suggested the resident speak directly with the sheriff or the sheriff’s chief deputy; the resident said she would. The sheriff’s office indicated it would continue to respond to community inquiries and make information available as appropriate.
Ending: The board heard the comment during public comment and directed staff to continue transparency about detention counts and contacts; the resident was encouraged to meet with the sheriff’s office to discuss concerns.
