Biddeford City Council signals support for ordinance to block cooperation with ICE
Biddeford is advancing a new ordinance that would prohibit city employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials, the city council announced this week. The action follows the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in July, an incident that drew hundreds of mourners to Mechanics Park and prompted local leaders to reexamine how Biddeford interacts with federal immigration enforcement.
The Biddeford City Council voted to move the measure forward at a meeting earlier this week. All nine councilors supported the ordinance at its first reading, and a final vote is expected at the council’s next session on Oct. 20.
The proposed ordinance would bar the city’s police department and other municipal offices from using resources or personnel to assist ICE agents. Backers say the move strengthens existing protections, noting that Biddeford police already operate under restrictions on federal immigration cooperation, but an ordinance would make those limits binding citywide.
The shooting, which occurred on July 14, happened amid broader debate over immigration enforcement in Maine. A state law that limits police coordination with federal immigration agencies took effect in July, and the Biddeford ordinance draws from models already adopted by Portland and Lewiston, both of which have passed similar measures limiting city cooperation with ICE.
At the council meeting, Councilor David Kurtz expressed support for the measure, framing it as a meaningful, if modest, step toward public safety.
“If this (ordinance) would move the needle an inch and make it 1% of 1% less likely that someone will be gunned down in the streets, I consider it absolutely worth it,” Kurtz said.
Councilor Marc Lessard, who had previously questioned such restrictions, ultimately voted in favor. He said he did so in memory of Durán Guerrero and for the kind of community Biddeford should embody.
“I want to say to Johan’s family and to all Biddeford families, I wish this had never happened,” Lessard said. “I want Biddeford to be the most welcoming, safe and happy place it can be.”
An attempt by Lessard to require the council to review the ordinance every six months was rejected by the body. The ordinance will now proceed to a second reading and final vote next month.
If adopted, the measure would represent a notable shift in how Biddeford handles interactions between local government and federal immigration authorities, coming at a time when local and state policies on the topic are under close scrutiny.
