Federal records show a rapid rise in local law enforcement partnerships with ICE since 2019, prompting pushback from Democratic lawmakers and civil liberties groups.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A little-known federal program authorizing local police to assist with immigration enforcement has expanded dramatically under President Donald Trump, embedding Immigration and Customs Enforcement partnerships in communities nationwide — including in Democratic-led and politically competitive states.
A Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of official ICE records found that since 2019, more than 1,350 local agencies have entered into 287(g) agreements with the federal government. Among them are 68 agencies located in Democratic states and 88 in swing states, underscoring the breadth of participation across the political map.
The 287(g) program, authorized by Congress in 1996, permits ICE to delegate certain immigration enforcement functions to trained state and local officers. According to a Congressional Research Service overview of the law here, the authority was created years before the first agreement was signed in 2002.
Chad Wolf, who led the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s first term and now heads homeland security and immigration policy at the America First Policy Institute, described the agreements as a central tool in coordinating federal and local enforcement efforts.
“The agreements force-multiply immigration enforcement and create safer conditions for federal agents, local law enforcement, and detainees,” Wolf told the DCNF.
ICE currently lists three operational models under the program. One permits jail officials to identify and transfer removable inmates to ICE custody. Another allows trained officers to interrogate or arrest individuals for immigration violations during routine duties. A third provides ICE-led training to execute immigration warrants within jail facilities.
Federal data indicate the program’s reach accelerated after Trump returned to office. ICE records show more than 1,000 agreements were initiated in 2025, with more than 100 additional partnerships signed so far in 2026. Monthly encounter summaries document arrests involving convicted child rapists, sex offenders, murderers, and drug traffickers.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF, “We have had tremendous success when local law enforcement work with us including 40,000 arrests in Florida.” She added, “Elected officials who refuse to cooperate with DHS law enforcement are wasting law enforcement time, energy, and resources, while putting their own constituents in danger.”
The program’s growth follows a period of contraction under former President Joe Biden. An archived ICE page available here shows that the administration froze new agreements and ended others. ICE’s current database reflects no ongoing partnerships initiated during Biden’s tenure.
“Today, federal officers are faced with the enormous task of locating, detaining and removing millions of people — many of whom are criminals — that came in under Biden,” Wolf told the DCNF, citing resistance from sanctuary jurisdictions and protests in cities such as Minneapolis.
Opposition to the agreements has intensified at the state level. Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine and New Mexico have enacted or advanced policies barring participation, according to state records and ICE listings.
In Maryland, lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled legislature advanced legislation that would prohibit 287(g) agreements despite nine agencies currently participating. Reporting by Maryland Matters and WBAL-TV noted that Gov. Wes Moore has indicated support for the measure, stating that public safety efforts should not involve “deputizing” officers to carry out federal immigration duties.
Legislative proposals in Massachusetts and New York seek to curtail or eliminate the agreements. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order — available here — limiting new state-level agreements unless tied to a specific public safety need and restricting them to one-year terms. The state maintains a jail partnership established in 2020, documented here.
In Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger ordered state agencies to terminate five agreements signed in 2025 under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, though she cannot dissolve contracts entered by county sheriffs. Proposed legislation — detailed here — would impose additional conditions on participation.
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed lawsuits challenging 287(g) agreements in Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. In Colorado, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office settled litigation and accepted restrictions on its participation, as announced by the ACLU of Colorado.
In Minnesota, two sheriffs voided their agreements following a non-binding legal opinion from Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to reporting by KAXE.
Wolf argued that expanding jail-based cooperation could reduce public confrontations. “If states chose to partner with ICE through 287(g) agreements, ICE could focus on taking custody of illegal aliens in a safer jail setting, rather than conducting operations in local communities where the possibility of violence is amplified,” he said.
As states debate participation, the 287(g) program has evolved into a focal point of the broader national fight over immigration enforcement and the role of local law enforcement in federal policy.