Dion raised concerns that the ordinance could leave rank-and-file city workers exposed if they are intimidated by federal agents.
PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland City Council on Monday night finalized a new ordinance expanding restrictions on how city employees may cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, placing Maine’s largest city alongside Lewiston and other municipalities that have moved to limit local involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
The ordinance passed in a 7-1 vote, with Mayor Mark Dion casting the lone vote in opposition. The new rules are set to take effect in 30 days.
The measure broadens Portland’s existing policy, which had primarily focused on the police department, and extends the restrictions to all city employees. That means the ordinance now reaches beyond law enforcement to include municipal workers such as school staff, bus drivers, Parks and Recreation employees, and other city personnel.
https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8380/files/agenda/19803
Under the new ordinance, city employees are barred from assisting federal agencies with immigration enforcement operations unless required by law. The policy also prohibits federal agents from accessing non-public areas of municipal buildings for immigration-related operations and blocks the use of city funds, personnel, or resources to support federal immigration enforcement.
https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8380/media
Dion said his opposition centered on language dealing with access to non-public portions of city buildings. Dion argued that the provision sent an “unfair” message to city employees who may not have the legal training or experience to deal with federal immigration agents in a high-pressure encounter. He proposed an amendment that would have protected staff from discipline if they allowed federal agents access because they were intimidated, but that amendment failed.
“I just want to tell them I trust them enough that they have a way out of that,” Dion said, according to the report. “I want to maintain the trust and respect from the people who work for us.”
Supporters of the ordinance rejected Dion’s proposed change, arguing it would create a loophole. Councilor Ben Grant said that if the city created a “roadmap” for ICE to access municipal spaces, federal agents would follow it, according to the Press Herald.
The ordinance follows similar local action in Lewiston earlier this year, where city officials approved their own restrictions on municipal cooperation with ICE. Portland’s ordinance is also part of a broader statewide debate over the role of local government in federal immigration enforcement.
Supporters argued that the policy gives clearer direction to city staff and is intended to reduce fear among immigrant communities. The ACLU of Maine said the Portland ordinance goes further than LD 1971, a state law set to take effect this summer, because the local ordinance applies to all city staff rather than focusing primarily on law enforcement.
The final vote came after weeks of discussion and after the council postponed a previous vote on the measure from April 27 to May 4.
The ordinance now positions Portland as one of the latest Maine municipalities to adopt a more restrictive local policy on immigration enforcement, even as federal immigration operations and state-level legislation remain politically charged issues across the state.
And Portland continues to reinforce my family’s decision to stay out of that part of Maine.