In a press conference today, Portland Mayor Mark Dion said the city did not capitulate to federal immigration authorities when it accepted a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation this week.
The $18 million is for infrastructure improvements at the International Jetport including replacing aging aircrafts, new bathrooms and snow removal equipment.
However, Dion said the Department of Transportation included language in the award notice sent out this week that working with ICE is a requirement.
"We did not consent, capitulate or embrace any condition for this money that would allow ice to be entangled with city affairs," Dion told a room of reporters.
In May, Maine joined a lawsuit with 19 other states that successfully blocked Duffy's directive after a judge granted a preliminary injunction in the case.
Dion said once city councilors noticed the language still appeared on the grant award, they called a special meeting Wednesday to be briefed on "the consequences."
"This type of executive session happens very frequently and oftentimes it's very routine and mechanical," Dion said.
He said Portland is shielded from the immigration enforcement requirements by a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in June.
"Furthermore, the Court declared that any entity of state, local government or state government accepting those funds would not be consenting, expressly or implicitly their willingness to carry out the standards expressed by the Department of Homeland Security," Dion said.
The decision by Portland city councilors in that meeting to move forward with accepting the grant drew a small group of protesters to city hall Thursday morning.
Kate Sykes was there; she represents the North Deering neighborhood on the city council. She said the decision to take on the grant goes against Portland's values as a sanctuary city.
"I don't think that we should be complicit in this behavior, this really reprehensible behavior on the part of the federal government to strong arm cities into, you know, conscript us into their federal agenda," she said.
At his press conference, Dion said the city is prepared to take legal action if the federal government tries to claw back that funding.
"It's unfortunate we find ourselves in an environment where the relationship between the federal government and local and state governments will have to be played out in courts," he said. "But that's the promise of our Constitution."
Joey Brunelle attended the Thursday morning demonstration and the mayor's press conference. He said the whole ordeal makes him want more transparency from the city government about federal grants moving forward.
"We're going to have to have a big public discussion about what protections exist and how we're going to fight this," Brunelle said. "Because this is only the beginning."
Craig Bramley of Portland said the city's vibrant immigrant community deserves more support.
"I understand it's a complicated issue, but I feel that we shouldn't be complying ahead of time with these demands. It's not consistent with our values as a city," he said.
Bramley said he hopes Portland will stand with other city leaders across the country who have made strong commitments to protect immigrants from ICE.
Earlier this month, Lincoln County decided not to apply for a federal emergency management grant after the Trump administration added similar immigration requirements.
Another special City Council meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday.
