Lawmakers pave way for Maine jails to have discretion over holding immigration detainees

By: Emma Davis

Outlets: Maine Morning Star

Published: March 23, 2026

Words: 1,093

Last Updated: 4 months, 1 week ago

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Lawmakers advanced a bill that would allow Maine jails to refuse to hold immigration detainees, laying the groundwork to settle the legal question at the heart of the dispute over a federal contract with Maine’s largest jail.

“I think everybody wins,” Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday about the legislation.

With late votes tallied Friday, the committee backed the measure 8-5, sending it to the full …

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