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Residents press council on immigration ordinance as item sent to government-operations committee
Summary
The council referred ordinance 26-095 (employee authority and immigration matters) to the Government Operations Committee for review; public commenters were split, urging both codification of current police practice and focus on housing and rising utility costs.
The Bangor City Council referred ordinance 26-095, which would establish chapter 46 on employee authority and municipal involvement in immigration matters, to the Government Operations Committee for first reading and legal review.
At the meeting, several residents weighed in on the measure. One resident who opposed the ordinance said codifying a practice that the police department already follows would divert limited council time from urgent local issues such as homelessness and the rising cost of utilities. That speaker said the city's police department currently does not engage in federal immigration enforcement and cited prior statements by the department's leadership as evidence.
Other speakers asked the city to clarify protections for staff and to explicitly oppose local participation in 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Katie Co., a Bangor resident and homeowner, told the council she supported ordinance 26-095's substance and urged the committee to keep it materially unaltered. Adam Baker, identifying himself as a resident, echoed that request and said the ordinance should bar 287(g) arrangements.
The council's clerk read the item into the record and members discussed how the legal department would review the draft. A motion to remove the item from first reading was withdrawn after the clerk and legal staff confirmed they would present the department's review to the Government Operations Committee; the item will return to committee on March 2, 2026, for further consideration.
The public record at the meeting also linked the immigration ordinance discussion to broader concerns about affordability. Commenters cited local data and national research noting that housing and utility costs are a primary driver of homelessness; one speaker said electricity rates have risen sharply since 2020 and urged the council to prioritize tax relief and utility advocacy.
Next steps: ordinance 26-095 is referred to the Government Operations Committee for legal review and committee consideration on March 2, 2026.
