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Gardiner police chief: local officers enforce state law, not federal immigration detainers
Summary
Chief Todd Pillsbury told the council Gardiner police do not enforce federal immigration law or operate under MOUs with federal agencies; he urged residents to call the police with concerns while noting he cannot guarantee federal actions or access to federal information.
Todd Pillsbury, chief of Gardiner Police Department, told the City Council that the department enforces state law and does not have memoranda of understanding with federal immigration agencies for civil detainer enforcement.
“We don’t enforce federal law. We enforce state law,” Chief Pillsbury said. He added that local officers have assisted federal agencies on criminal matters in the past (FBI, ATF) but do not, as a matter of routine, enforce federal civil immigration paperwork.
At multiple points residents asked what would happen if a federal agent or group showed up at a private residence. A parent asked whether her child could call 911 if someone arrived and whether the department would protect the child; Chief Pillsbury recommended calling 911 but said, “I don’t know if they would even let us close,” meaning he could not guarantee how federal agents would act or whether the department would be allowed to obstruct a federal operation.
Chief Pillsbury encouraged residents to contact the department directly with questions and noted his officers are approachable; he offered the department’s nonemergency phone routing and said his cell phone is listed on the city website. Mayor Patricia Hart and council members thanked the chief for coming and answering community concerns.
The meeting made no change to local policy or enforcement; the session provided public information and a forum for residents to ask questions about what local police can and cannot do with respect to federal immigration activity.
