Oxford County commissioners unanimously agreed to a request Tuesday from its Emergency Management Agency to apply for a federal grant through the Department of Homeland Security for disaster preparedness and resiliency efforts.

County officials told EMA Director Allyson Hill to file the paperwork for the $200,000 grant despite new language and conditions that stipulate the county must work with immigration enforcement officials on any operation.

Hill called the new language “peculiar,” saying she had never seen those requirements to accept similar grants in her 20 years as EMA director.

The section titled “communication and cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and immigration officials” spells out the new requirements and provisions the county must comply with.

In addition to agreeing not to withhold the sharing of information regarding citizenship or immigration status of all individuals, the county must agree to participate in joint operations and provide an area for short-term detention “of an alien pursuant to a valid detainer.”

Further, immigration officers must be provided access to detainees. And local officials are not permitted to “leak or otherwise publicize the existence of an immigration enforcement operation.”

The policy may still be evolving, Hill said Monday. The new requirement did not appear until the third version of the 2025 grant application, which was received a few weeks ago. She noted Maine has joined a multi-state lawsuit to prevent linking immigration enforcement to federal grants.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Administrator Zane Loper urged commissioners to ignore the changes and apply for the funding.

“I think we should go forward with this,” Loper said. “If at the time of approval, the situation hasn’t been worked out or they become problematic, we’ll address it then.”

“It would be a shame to miss out on and not apply for these grants if things get worked out,” Loper said. “We’d have to go another year before we could apply again,” he added.

Commissioner Lisa Keim noted Tuesday that the county was not yet signing on the dotted line.

“The application is not the acceptance (of the grant),” Keim said. “We’re going to wait and see how this plays out. We’ll have a further discussion.”

Joining Keim in voting to apply for the grant were Commissioner Sawin Millett and Chairman Timothy Turner.

Hill is requesting the $200,000 for Med Care and the Oxford Water Department, in addition to funding for training and exercises. She has a training scheduled in Bethel later this fall.

Last week, Lincoln County Administrator Carrie Kipler decided not to apply for the federal grants because of the immigration language. She said following those demands would violate county policy.