Cumberland County leaders on Monday rejected a proposal that would have ended a federal contract allowing the county jail to house detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), maintaining a long-running agreement that has drawn sustained criticism from immigrant advocates.
The 3-2 vote followed years of debate and came after about 100 people attended the commission meeting, many urging officials to sever the arrangement. After hearing public comment, commissioners deliberated over the financial and operational implications of terminating the contract before voting to keep it in place.
Councilors Jean Marie Caterina and Patricia Smith voted to void the contract. Tom Taylor, James Coutier and Chairman Stephen Gordon voted to keep the contract.
The contract, held through the U.S. Marshals Service, reimburses the county at a rate of $150 per day for each federal detainee. The agreement covers individuals held for various federal agencies, including those held on immigration detainers for ICE. County officials said the longstanding partnership brings in roughly $2.5 million annually, a significant portion of the jail’s operating revenue.
According to the county, ending the contract would have required a plan to offset that revenue loss and determine how the jail would restructure operations without federal detainees. Commissioners also discussed the legal obligations tied to the U.S. Marshals Service agreement, which has historically included ICE detainees as part of its standard terms.
Opponents of the contract argued that continuing to hold ICE detainees harms the county’s immigrant communities and contributes to fear surrounding federal immigration enforcement. Demonstrators and local advocacy groups have repeatedly rallied against the arrangement over several years, urging county leaders to take a stand by withdrawing from the federal agreement.
Monday’s vote maintains the status quo at the Cumberland County Jail, leaving the contract in place despite renewed pressure from critics. The decision marked another chapter in a long-running local dispute that has come before the commission multiple times and continues to generate strong reactions from residents across Maine’s most populous county.
