AUGUSTA — Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce and Maine’s other county sheriffs met with Gov. Paul LePage this week to discuss the controversial issue of detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I think it was productive to at least get everything on the table,” Joyce said about the meeting.

Joyce, who lives in Standish and is a Windham native, announced in September that his office would no longer honor ICE requests to detain Cumberland County prisoners past their release date, citing constitutional concerns.

That decision appears to have played a role in prompting a letter from LePage directing all Maine county sheriff’s to cooperate with federal immigration officials. The governor’s office also sent out a press release clarifying his powers and the process under the state Constitution and state statute to remove a sheriff from office.

On Wednesday, LePage and the Maine Sheriff’s Association issued a joint statement about the outcome of Monday’s meeting.

“County sheriffs play an important role in our constitutional republic and do a great job keeping our families and communities safe and free,” said the joint statement. “Governor Paul R. LePage will work to empower Maine sheriffs to work cooperatively with federal immigration authorities to make certain that federal immigration law is being properly enforced in the State of Maine.”

Joyce acknowledged Tuesday that ICE detainer requests is a “highly emotional issue.” He said the meeting between LePage and the sheriffs was the “logical next step” in the process and that it “didn’t hurt.”

In an Oct. 4 interview, Joyce said the constitutional issues that he sees with the detainer process could open Cumberland County up to the threat of a lawsuit.

Joyce also said Tuesday that the governor offered to “put in legislation for protecting the counties” during Monday’s meeting.

Joyce said that he and members of his office met with ICE in the last two weeks and he is hoping to negotiate an agreement that “might be able to get us what we need” in terms of cooperating with ICE while also addressing his concerns.

“I’m waiting to here back from them,” Joyce continued.

“If we work with ICE and get the paperwork we need, that’s it – we don’t need legislation,” Joyce said.

An ICE spokesman declined to comment Tuesday on Joyce’s take on the negotiations.

The spokesman, Shawn Neudeauer, provided a statement Oct. 4 on the general issue of the detainers that said the agency “maintains that detainers and administrative arrest warrants are legally valid documents, and that ICE has the legal authority to issue such documents – in accordance with the lawful framework established by Congress for the enforcement of immigration violations.”

Matt Junker can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or mjunker@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @MattJunker.

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