Lewiston, Maine is not officially a sanctuary city, and it has never formally declared itself one. It also does not appear on the U.S. Department of Justice’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions. But in early 2026 the City Council passed an emergency ordinance that bars city employees and city resources from assisting federal immigration enforcement except where the law or a judge requires it. In practical terms, that moves Lewiston close to what most people mean when they use the sanctuary label, without the label itself.1City of Lewiston. City of Lewiston Code of Ordinances – Emergency Ordinance Pertaining to Federal Immigration Enforcement
What the 2026 Ordinance Actually Does
The council adopted the ordinance on a 5-2 vote. It applies to every city department, not just the police. That reach matters: federal immigration agents sometimes ask for help from code enforcement officers, social services staff, or clerks, and the ordinance covers all of them.
Under the ordinance, no city employee may:
- Share information with federal immigration authorities such as contact details or custody status, investigate or interrogate anyone for immigration purposes, set up traffic perimeters for an immigration operation, or be present to support one.
- Stop, arrest, detain, or continue to detain a person based solely on an ICE detainer, an administrative immigration warrant, or suspicion that someone lacks legal status.
- Sign a 287(g) agreement or any contract that would give federal immigration agents access to city staff or authorize transfers into ICE or CBP custody for removal proceedings.
- Grant ICE or CBP access to non-public areas of city-owned buildings for immigration enforcement.
The Lewiston Police Department had already said publicly that it does not participate in or coordinate with ICE operations in Maine. The ordinance writes that practice into the city code and extends it across every department.1City of Lewiston. City of Lewiston Code of Ordinances – Emergency Ordinance Pertaining to Federal Immigration Enforcement
When City Employees Can Still Cooperate
The rules are not absolute. The whole ordinance turns on the difference between a judicial warrant, which is signed by a judge, and an administrative immigration warrant, which ICE issues internally. A valid judicial warrant can be honored. An administrative warrant cannot.
City staff can also work with federal authorities when the Lewiston Police Department is independently investigating serious criminal activity. The ordinance names human trafficking, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and firearms trafficking. In those cases, officers may share information and coordinate with federal partners. The ordinance also allows responses to requests about a specific person’s criminal history when state law permits it.1City of Lewiston. City of Lewiston Code of Ordinances – Emergency Ordinance Pertaining to Federal Immigration Enforcement
Lewiston Is Not on the Federal Sanctuary List
The U.S. Department of Justice publishes a list of sanctuary jurisdictions under Executive Order 14287, which directs federal agencies to identify jurisdictions that obstruct immigration enforcement. Neither Lewiston nor the state of Maine appears on the most recent published list, which includes 13 states, several large counties, and roughly 18 cities, most of them major metropolitan areas like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.2U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. Sanctuary Jurisdiction List Following Executive Order 14287: Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens
That status could change. Executive Order 14287 directs federal agency heads to identify federal funds flowing to sanctuary jurisdictions for possible suspension or termination, and the DOJ has said it will review the list regularly. Grants that have been targeted in past sanctuary disputes include the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program, Community Development Block Grants, and funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. For a city Lewiston’s size, losing any of those would be significant.
Maine State Law Points the Same Direction
Lewiston’s ordinance sits inside a state framework that already restricts local involvement in civil immigration enforcement. Under Maine law, law enforcement agencies cannot use their money or personnel to investigate, interrogate, detain, or arrest a person solely for immigration enforcement. Officers cannot ask about immigration status during routine interactions, hold someone on an ICE request, or transfer a person to immigration authorities without a court order or criminal warrant.3Maine State Legislature. HP1148, LD 1589 – An Act To Protect the Liberty of Immigrants and Asylum Seekers in Maine
State law still permits cooperation on criminal matters. Officers can investigate violations of federal criminal immigration statutes, respond to requests for a specific person’s criminal history, and participate in joint task forces. The line Maine draws is the same one Lewiston drew: criminal law enforcement, yes; civil immigration enforcement, no.
What This Means If You Live in Lewiston
In day-to-day terms, city employees will not ask about your immigration status, will not pass your information to immigration authorities during routine interactions, and will not hold you for ICE pickup based solely on an administrative detainer. That protection runs across city services, from the clerk’s office to code enforcement to a traffic stop by city police.
There are real limits. A judicial warrant overrides the ordinance. A serious criminal investigation can open the door to cooperation. And federal agents acting on their own authority are not bound by city rules at all. ICE and CBP keep full authority to conduct their own operations in Lewiston. The ordinance controls what city employees do, not what federal agents do.
Geography matters here too. Customs and Border Protection claims authority to conduct operations within 100 miles of any U.S. border, including the coastline. Because of Maine’s proximity to Canada and its coastline, the entire state falls within that zone. CBP can set up checkpoints and conduct operations in Lewiston regardless of local policy. What the ordinance prevents is city staff being pulled in to help.
So the short answer to the sanctuary question is layered. No formal designation. Not on the federal list. But a city ordinance, backed by state law, that keeps municipal employees out of federal immigration enforcement in nearly every situation a resident is likely to encounter.