Chief: Auburn police signed three-year ICE contract, received $152,000 and expects quarterly payments

Chief Chip told the Auburn meeting that the town recently received $152,000 from a service contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and expects ongoing quarterly payments of roughly $52,000, plus a one-time $100,000 payment earmarked for vehicles and equipment.

The contract, Chip said, runs three years and was signed Jan. 6, 2026; it ends in 2029 and “either one of us — DHS or ourselves — can break the contract and walk away,” he said. The $100,000 payment, he added, was specifically for vehicle purchases.

Why it matters: Town officials said the money provides modest supplemental funding for the police department and dedicated equipment but does not replace regular budget lines. At the meeting officials placed the ICE receipts in context against the department’s overall budget, which was described in discussion as roughly $1.87 million.

The meeting also discussed how the department will account for and publicize such operational funding. Chair noted the town relies on public meetings, the town crier and neighborhood watch communications for transparency and that it is impractical to notify residents about every operational detail.

On enforcement numbers, Lieutenant Kashman was cited as reporting no confirmed unlawful stops in the department’s records over the past 15 years “that we know of,” a point that drew positive response from the Chair. Chip and other speakers also reported the department had three ICE detentions this quarter, two of them in May.

Officials repeatedly emphasized the figures as estimates tied to participation and task-force activity: “every quarter after that depending on the number of task force officers — $52,000, plus or minus a little bit,” Chip said. Speakers cautioned that the higher annual totals discussed at the meeting were theoretical and would depend on continued participation.

The meeting did not record any change to town policy or a formal vote related to the ICE contract; participants said the contract’s terms permit either party to terminate early and that funding was already set aside at the federal level for the program.

What’s next: Officials said they will include equipment and related items in the town’s 2026 capital improvement plan and continue routine public reporting through regular meetings and the town’s communications channels.