Fourth Cumberland County Corrections Officer Detained by Federal Immigration Authorities Since Last Spring

A fourth corrections officer at the Cumberland County Jail has been taken into custody by federal immigration agents in the past 16 months, underscoring a deepening tension between the county's largest detention center and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Nilton Ribeiro, who immigration officials said is a native of Angola, was apprehended by ICE agents last Saturday during what a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security described as "a targeted enforcement operation." The spokesperson said Ribeiro had entered the United States in September 2022 under a temporary permission to remain that expired in March 2023, and that he had "overstayed his welcome."

Ribeiro had been employed at the Cumberland County Jail since August 2023. Jail administrator Timothy Kortes said Thursday that Ribeiro contacted the facility last week to inform staff he would be unable to report for duty, citing an immigration issue. Kortes described Ribeiro as a "satisfactory employee" who had performed his assigned duties and met expectations, but said he could share no further details about the man's employment.

Federal officials have declined to disclose where Ribeiro is being held, and an ICE online detainee locator does not list his current location. Kortes said he, too, was unaware of the specifics of Ribeiro's detention.

The latest apprehension is the latest chapter in an ongoing series of confrontations between the Cumberland County Jail and ICE. In April 2025, a corrections officer was detained by federal agents while driving to work; that officer had applied for asylum. In January of this year, a second officer was taken into custody during a traffic stop as part of a broader surge in ICE enforcement activity across Maine. That second officer has since returned to work at the jail.

The January detention provoked an unusually sharp public clash with Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce, who criticized ICE's tactics in arresting the officer while he was on his way to work, calling them "bush-league." The dispute escalated when ICE subsequently removed its federal detainees from the county jail, ending an arrangement that had generated significant revenue for the county. The loss of that contract sparked concern among local officials about the financial toll on county operations and taxpayers.

In June, a third corrections officer was detained at his home in South Portland. Some county officials, including Joyce, accused immigration officials of misrepresenting the circumstances of that apprehension.

The pattern has placed Cumberland County at the center of a broader debate over immigration enforcement in Maine, where ICE arrests this year have already surpassed the combined total of the previous two years, according to data reported by other outlets.

Ribeiro's detention raises the number of Cumberland County Jail staff members known to have been taken into federal immigration custody to at least four since the spring of 2025. No details about his current legal status or potential next steps have been released by either the jail or federal authorities.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.