SCARBOROUGH, Maine — The Scarborough Town Council is seeking legal guidance as it considers how to respond to a residents’ petition calling for limits on the town’s interactions with federal immigration authorities and scrutiny of a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

The issue gained urgency following the July 13 death of Johan Sebastian Guerrero, a Colombian national, during an ICE operation in Biddeford, which prompted local concern and renewed attention on the agency’s presence in southern Maine.

At a special meeting on July 29, the council adopted a proclamation urging Maine’s congressional delegation to work with federal agencies to review the use of the ICE facility at 40 Manson Libby Road as an immigration processing center.  The council also asked federal officials to consider whether the facility could be relocated or discontinued.

The proclamation further called for the congressional delegation to advocate for greater transparency, community engagement and adherence to standards for federal conduct in Maine related to immigration enforcement activities.

At the same meeting, a group of residents submitted a petition titled “Act Now on ICE,” calling on the council to take additional steps immediately. The petition, signed by 175 Scarborough residents and about 200 others from elsewhere in Maine, makes three requests.

First, petitioners asked the town to urgently pass an ordinance limiting municipal participation in federal civil immigration enforcement.  Such a measure would define when local police, staff and resources may assist federal authorities, except where cooperation is required by law.

Second, the petition calls for a formal town investigation of the Scarborough ICE facility, including a review of how it is used, whether its operations have changed, how many people pass through it and what impacts it may have on the community.

Third, residents are seeking new public safety measures and reporting requirements. These include Police Department policies to protect demonstrators and an ordinance requiring the town to document interactions between municipal employees and federal immigration officials, with the goal of measuring local impacts and costs.

Town Manager Thomas Hall told councilors at an August 19 meeting that a draft of the petition had been reviewed by the town’s legal counsel, Bernstein Shur.  Hall said a meeting between council leadership and the attorneys is being scheduled to discuss potential responses.

In preliminary feedback, attorneys noted that municipalities have limited authority to regulate federal property through land use, zoning or code enforcement, particularly when a facility is already built and operating.

They also said the town could adopt an ordinance restricting when employees assist federal immigration enforcement, provided it does not conflict with legal obligations such as court orders or warrants.  Similar ordinances have been enacted in Portland and Waterville, according to the legal review.

Regarding the proposed reporting requirements, attorneys indicated the town appears to have the authority to implement such measures.  However, they cautioned that Maine’s Freedom of Access Act may limit the release of certain law enforcement information and that tracking and reporting requirements could create administrative burdens for town staff.

The council’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2.   An executive session with the town attorney is planned for September 30, though officials have not publicly detailed the purpose of that meeting.

The Scarborough ICE facility opened in 2021 and has drawn opposition since it was first proposed in 2019, becoming a focal point for debate over federal immigration enforcement in the region.

Reported by Steve Hanly, Sep. 1, 2026