The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Wednesday they have expanded agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies from 135 to 1,001 — a 641% increase since Inauguration Day.
Under the 287(g) program, DHS said the agreements "give local and state law enforcement officers the tools and authority to arrest the worst of the worst, including murderers, gang members, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists, from American communities."
Starting Oct. 1, DHS said participating agencies will qualify for reimbursement opportunities, including annual salary and benefits for each trained officer, with overtime coverage up to 25% of pay. Agencies also will be eligible for quarterly performance awards tied to the successful location of illegal immigrants identified by ICE and overall assistance with ICE’s mission.
"We encourage all state and local law enforcement agencies to sign a 287(g) agreement now," ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said in a news release. "By joining forces with ICE, you’re not just gaining access to these unprecedented reimbursement opportunities — you’re becoming part of a national effort to ensure the safety of every American family."
President Joe Biden campaigned in 2020 on ending the Trump administration’s expanded 287(g) agreements that empowered local law enforcement to help conduct federal immigration enforcement. Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s DHS secretary, sought to dismantle the program while also reducing immigration detention space. Mayorkas argued the 287(g) program had a history of "pernicious practices" and widespread "abuses," Breitbart reported.
In May 2021, Mayorkas ordered the termination of the 287(g) ICE agreement in Bristol County, Massachusetts, which had allowed agents to take custody of illegal immigrants charged with attempted murder, child rape and other child sex crimes, strangulation, armed carjacking, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Breitbart.
The 287(g) program was scaled back in 2012 when its field-enforcement models were shut down, though its jail-based model continued. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has revived and expanded 287(g) partnerships, marking the program’s largest boost in more than a decade.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.