PORTLAND, Maine — Cumberland County Commissioners voted to keep an agreement with federal immigration authorities.
The vote came Monday night after months of calls from protesters to end the contract, which allows ICE to hold prisoners at the county jail.
Crowds of protesters filled the meeting room and the lobby of the Cumberland County building.
Speaker after speaker asked commissioners to cancel the contract with ICE, which pays the jail $150 a day per federal detainee.
Several faith leaders said upholding the contract was morally wrong.
“This is not who [we] are as Cumberland County, and you have the power to say no, to stand up for our neighbors, to stand up for the rule of law,” Rev. Allison Smith of Harpswell said.
While they voted to keep the contract, two commissioners said that ICE’s practices are concerning.
