What to know about ICE restrictions Biddeford councilors may consider

Biddeford City Council weighs new ordinances to limit ICE activity after the July shooting of a migrant in the city

By Maine News Now

In the wake of the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent last July, Biddeford’s City Council is considering a suite of ordinances that would reduce federal immigration‑enforcement activity in the city. The council convened Tuesday to hear City Attorney Harry Center explain the legal options available to the municipality.

“We have no obligation to cooperate with ICE,” Center told council members. “While we can’t prevent the federal agency from coming to Biddeford, we can lawfully find other ways to minimize where agents could go within the city and who could work with them.”

Center presented 11 potential ordinances, ranging from prohibiting the use of city funds and property by ICE to requiring all city staff and law enforcement to demand identification from ICE agents and document all interactions with the agency. He also suggested zoning restrictions that would prohibit ICE activity on city‑owned property and could help private landowners refuse federal presence.

The city’s move follows a trend among Maine municipalities. Lewiston, Rockland and Portland have already adopted ordinances that forbid cooperation with ICE, prohibit the use of municipal property and require the use of judicial warrants for enforcement actions. South Portland passed a resolution in February that explicitly opposed cooperation with federal immigration officers. Center highlighted Chicago’s zoning ordinances, which outright preclude ICE activity, as an example of a more aggressive approach that Biddeford could also consider.

“People were afraid,” Center said of the recent ICE presence in Biddeford, which he said had affected school attendance, residents’ ability to access food and students’ ability to keep up with studies. “There could be a valid reason to make sure we have ordinances where this can’t happen again.”

The city’s police department already does not assist ICE or share information with the federal agency. That policy is reinforced by LD 1971, a state law that took effect in July 2026. The law limits Maine’s police officers and sheriff’s deputies from asking about a person’s immigration status or sharing personal information with ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement unless it is for a criminal investigation. “The federal government cannot commandeer Biddeford police or Biddeford workers to assist in ICE operations,” Center added.

Councilor Abigail Woods, representing Ward 2, praised the proposed measures. “I’m glad we’ll be able to discuss implementing some of these,” she said. “The city should have the ability to protect its residents.”

Center emphasized that while the new state law provides a baseline level of protection, it does not restrict ICE’s use of public property. “That’s where new zoning restrictions could come in,” he said. “It won’t happen overnight, but it’s certainly doable.”

The council will need to decide which combination of ordinances, if any, it will pass. The measures could include simple guidelines for city staff, a prohibition on the use of city funds or property, or more robust zoning rules that could require signage and legal barriers to federal presence. The discussion also raised questions about how the city could best balance its obligations to federal agencies with the safety and well‑being of its residents.

Biddeford’s deliberations come a month after the death of Durán Guerrero, an event that has spurred protests and heightened scrutiny of ICE’s operations across the state. The city’s move could set a precedent for other Maine municipalities seeking to assert local control over federal immigration enforcement.

Biddeford officials have said they will continue to monitor the situation and engage with state and federal partners to ensure that the city’s residents can live without fear of sudden ICE activity. The council will reconvene in the coming weeks to vote on any ordinances that are approved.