LEWISTON, Maine — The Lewiston City Council voted 5–2 Tuesday night to approve an “emergency” ordinance restricting city employees, including the Lewiston Police Department, from assisting federal immigration enforcement, after a tense council debate and more than an hour of packed public comment that exposed a city sharply divided over ICE’s recent presence in Maine.
Supporters framed the measure as a temporary “bridge” until a similar state law takes effect this summer. Opponents blasted it as political theater that undercuts public safety and demonizes law enforcement, while doing nothing to stop ICE from operating in Lewiston.
A 60-Day “Emergency” Ordinance Meant to Fill a Gap
Council President David Chittim, who brought the ordinance forward, said he worked directly with Police Chief Conley and incorporated the department’s requested edits into the final draft.
“I have coordinated with the police chief on this ordinance. All the comments that Chief Conley made have been incorporated into the draft,” Chittim said. “It actually does not have a great deal of effect on the current operations of the police department.”
Chittim argued the council needed to use an emergency ordinance because the city’s normal ordinance process requires 44 days before a new law takes effect. Under Lewiston’s rules, an emergency ordinance becomes effective immediately but lasts only 60 days and requires a supermajority vote.
The ordinance is modeled after a state law, described during the meeting as taking effect sometime in July or August depending on the Legislature’s adjournment, that also limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. City leaders said the local measure is designed to “cover the gap” before the state law becomes operative.
“Required” vs. “Authorized” — and a Key Weakening Fight
A major flashpoint inside the council was a late-stage language change: replacing “except where legally required” with “except where legally authorized.”
Some councilors warned that shift matters, because “authorized” is broader than “required,” potentially weakening the ordinance by allowing more cooperation with federal immigration officials than the original draft intended.
Chittim conceded the change made the ordinance “slightly weaker,” but said the police department requested it and that he wanted their buy-in to pass the emergency measure immediately. The debate also centered on judicial warrants versus administrative orders, with multiple speakers warning that administrative ICE detainers, not signed by judges, have been used nationwide in controversial operations.
Police Chief Conley defended the language, telling councilors “Authorized” is the standard term in statutes and policing practice, offering an example that officers may be “authorized” to pull someone over, but not “required” to do so.
Mayor Sheline: Ordinance “Best Interest” of City
Mayor Carl Sheline backed the ordinance, saying it was in the best interest of Lewiston and intended to protect residents’ safety and well-being. Supporters argued the measure is about community trust — that people are less likely to report crimes, seek emergency help, or cooperate with investigations if they fear routine city interactions could trigger immigration enforcement consequences.
Public Comment Explodes — Supporters Cite Fear, Opponents Cite Safety
Public comment stretched for more than an hour as residents, activists, union members, immigrants, veterans, and former officials lined up at the podium, some describing fear and disruption caused by recent ICE activity, others demanding the city stop “handcuffing” law enforcement.
Republican candidate for Governor, David Jones blasted the council, “so to come out here tonight and say that we need this is is absolutely absurd. We haven’t had gun fire here since ICE has been around, I think that’s really good. We don’t have bullets flying in Lewiston, isn’t that amazing, now is that a bad thing that ICE was here and stopped that and maybe someone or many didn’t get shot or killed. Why do you want to use the people as pawns why do you want to put people in harm’s way, when you don’t support your law enforcement at any level and then you direct your local PD’s to not cooperate you are endangering the people.”
Lewiston resident Jennifer Ross warned the council it was choosing politics over public safety.
“You cannot claim to be tough on crime while tying the hands of the agencies working to remove individuals who have already been charged with serious offenses,” Ross said. “That is not leadership. That is political calculation.”
Other speakers argued Lewiston has more pressing problems, gun violence, budget pressure, and downtown disorder, and said the ordinance was a manufactured “emergency” aimed at political messaging rather than a response to documented misconduct by Lewiston police.
Community activist Safiya Khalid took to the podium and said ‘she took a picture” of Lewiston Police and ICE working together on Tuesday. City hall staff was very quick to discredit her comment during a break in the meeting, saying Khalid’s comments were not factual.
Supporters countered that the ordinance is precisely about preventing the city from becoming entangled in federal operations that could spark civil rights lawsuits and further erode trust.
The Vote
After debate, the council approved the emergency ordinance on a 5–2 roll call vote, sending the policy into immediate effect, at least temporarily, while the city moves toward consideration of a permanent ordinance using identical language in the coming weeks.
What’s Next
Chittim indicated the council will take up a permanent version of the ordinance in March, with two readings required. That process will likely reopen the fight over the “authorized” vs. “required” language, and whether Lewiston wants a temporary bridge until summer, or a longer-term policy that locks in the city’s posture toward federal immigration enforcement.
