PORTLAND, Maine — A public clash between Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce and federal immigration officials has intensified into a high-stakes standoff, with ICE pulling its detainees out of the Cumberland County Jail and Homeland Security Investigations issuing a subpoena for employment verification records after Joyce criticized the arrest of a corrections recruit as “bush league.”
Joyce confirmed his office received a subpoena from ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, compelling Cumberland County’s human resources department to provide Form I-9 records to demonstrate compliance with federal employment verification requirements.
ICE pulls detainees after Joyce blasts arrest tactics
The dispute erupted after ICE arrested a corrections recruit connected to the jail, prompting Joyce to publicly condemn the operation and label it “bush league.”
Soon after Joyce’s comments, federal officials began removing ICE detainees from the Cumberland County facility, ending, at least for now, a major federal detention partnership and the revenue stream that comes with it.
DHS spokesman: “Sanctuary city to a whole new level,” detention deal ended
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson sharply pushed back on Joyce’s criticism, saying it was “shocking” for a county jail to employ a “law breaker” and adding: “This takes sanctuary city to a whole new level.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said ICE would no longer house detainees at the Cumberland County Jail after learning the county had employed what DHS described as an “illegal alien” as a corrections officer. “We could not, in good conscience, continue to partner with a law enforcement organization that flagrantly violated our nation’s immigration laws,” McLaughlin said.
Joyce: HSI subpoena demanded broad I-9 information
In written responses to The Maine Wire, Joyce said the subpoena compelled the county’s HR department to provide I-9 documentation and that the county provided the names of all employees who worked in the jail between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 23, 2026.
Joyce also confirmed the federal demand was tied to employment verification compliance, the process employers use to confirm workers are legally authorized to work in the United States.
No confirmed update on the arrested recruit’s location or hearing
Asked for new details about the recruit’s arrest, Joyce said he had no further confirmed information, adding he had only heard unconfirmed rumors about where the recruit might be held and whether a hearing was expected.
Sheriff defends hiring process: E-Verify, background checks, fingerprints — and polygraphs
Joyce said Cumberland County’s HR department is responsible for vetting new hires, including reviewing I-9 forms before employment and checking candidates through E-Verify, and that the county has hired an immigration attorney to advise HR on I-9 concerns.
He said the sheriff’s office also contracts with a background investigation vendor to screen all applicants and runs fingerprint-based checks through NCIC, along with criminal history records checks. Joyce said all candidates for jobs at the jail must also pass a pre-employment polygraph.
In this case, Joyce said the recruit presented a valid Maine driver’s license and previously held a Texas license. Joyce said the background report showed an arrest entry tied to Laredo, Texas Customs and Border Protection for “Alien Admissibility under Section 212,” with no disposition listed and no active warrants found. Joyce also said the report carried a “United States” citizenship designation that he could not explain.
“Disconnect” between state hiring rules and federal immigration data
Joyce argued the real problem is access: he said local hiring authorities do not have immigration status information available during routine employment screening, and that while NCIC includes an “immigration alien query,” it is restricted for criminal investigations and not allowed for standard hiring decisions.
Fallout: a contract rupture with money — and politics — on the line
The detainee pullout is not just symbolic. Cumberland County, like many jurisdictions, has relied on federal detention contracts to help offset jail costs. Reporting has raised the prospect of financial pain for county taxpayers if the federal government walks away long-term.
For now, the conflict is entrenched: Joyce says his office followed a rigorous, legally constrained hiring process, and DHS says it will not house detainees in a facility it claims employed someone not legally authorized to work, while turning its scrutiny toward the county’s broader hiring and verification records.
Hard to tell from this if Sheriff Joyce hired the illegal alien without caring that he was hiring an illegal alien or if the information that the man was an illegal alien was not available to him because of some law that hides that information. Hope the illegal alien is deported soon and that there can be a legal determination of whether or not Sheriff Joyce is at fault.