PARIS — The Select Board is not likely to sign a petition asking the town not to sign any agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in detaining any allegedly undocumented immigrants, officials said this week.

The petition was presented to the board Monday by a pair of Paris residents who want to prevent the Paris Police Department from cooperating with ICE unless the federal agents had a judicial warrant.

After much discussion, the board said it was unlikely the town would sign such a request and took no formal action.

“Maine stands at a crossroads where the values of human dignity and community safety converge,” the petition stated. “Recent collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE in our state and throughout the nation has led to unnecessary deportation, breaking apart families and instilling fear in our immigrant communities. Many of their actions are illegal and unconstitutional.”

It noted that allowing ICE to operate freely without oversight “disrupts the trust between the community and law enforcement.”

Select Board Chairman Scott McElravy said he talked to police Chief Michael Ward about the possibility of working with ICE.

“He said they don’t actively search for illegal immigrants. Not at all,” McElravy said. “If they find an illegal immigrant, they contact Border Patrol. That’s what they’ve always done and what they will continue to do.”

“ICE is a federal agency so they have federal jurisdiction,” added Selectman Steve Cronce, who works for the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office. “We are only enforcing what we are allowed to in our jurisdiction. I’ve never heard of entering into any contract with a federal agency to assist them. ”

The town of Wells signed a contract with ICE in April but put the agreement on hold when hundreds of residents protested the decision. Winthrop and Monmouth withdrew their application to work with ICE after residents objected.

The more than 50 residents who attended Monday’s meeting appeared split in the issue.

“I would request that the board not do this,” resident Bob Jewett said, adding that the state was considering legislation to do just that. “I don’t know why we need to jump on board if this is going to be a state law.”

Another resident talked about the images she has seen on the news of ICE agents wearing masks and being heavily armed. She added that people do not know who these people are.

“I think in our little world if we can protect people who are working here, live here, contributing to the community, we should do that,” she said.

Selectman Robert Ripley added that the town doesn’t need to sign any contract to work with ICE but should still cooperate when asked.

“We ought to have our police force uphold the laws of the federal government, the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Maine,” Ripley said. “This is a can of worms. We should let the federal government do their jobs, and if they need our police department for help, we should help them. I don’t think we should make an immigration task force out of the Paris Police Department. They have enough to do.”

He added that if a Paris immigrant is here illegally and broke federal law, the town needs to let ICE do its job.

Town Manager Natalie Andrews said if ICE sought a signed contract with the town, she would recommend to the board that they hold a public hearing about the request.