State index

Under Senate Bill 8, which took effect in January, nearly all Texas sheriffs who operate a county jail are mandated to enter into 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by December. The state requirement drives an already massive roster of local partnerships; ICE currently lists 409 participating agencies in Texas, the 1st such total in the country. The mandate has drawn attention to how local jails interact with federal immigration authorities and what compliance looks like for regional law enforcement.

The jail requirement coincides with a broader push for state-level immigration enforcement. A federal appeals court allowed Senate Bill 4 to take effect, a law that authorizes Texas state and local police to independently detain individuals suspected of lacking legal immigration status and empowers state judges to order deportations.

Beyond the jail mandate, several municipalities and county agencies are voluntarily expanding their federal immigration partnerships. Over the summer, the city council in Jasper, Texas, approved a 287(g) task-force agreement, while commissioners in Galveston County, Texas, sought grant funding to support local immigration enforcement operations.

Other local governments have opted against voluntary ICE partnerships. In July, a divided city council in Hitchcock, Texas, voted to block entry into a proposed 287(g) task-force agreement. The city council in Decatur, Texas, similarly declined to advance an ICE partnership proposal in June.

Informal cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents has also drawn scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions. A summer report indicated that the police department in Houston, Texas, collaborated with ICE on at least 103 occasions starting in April. Elsewhere in the state, a police officer in Robstown, Texas, violated department procedures by assisting federal agents in a workplace apprehension over the summer, and deputies in San Augustine County, Texas, reportedly facilitated the ICE detention of two workers in May.

Nearly 39,000 immigration arrests were recorded in Florida between January 2025 and March 2026, a surge driven by local law enforcement officers utilizing 287(g) agreements to act as federal immigration agents. ICE currently lists 286 participating agencies in Florida, giving the state the 2nd such total in the country.

To incentivize local compliance, Florida officials began distributing millions of dollars from a state grant pool this spring. State leaders presented large checks to county sheriffs who signed 287(g) contracts to assist federal immigration enforcement, actively funding the collaboration.

Even with the funding, the State Immigration Enforcement Council reported in July that over 100 of the state's agencies with active 287(g) task-force agreements had yet to record a single arrest. The disclosure prompted state leaders to draft letters pressuring local police to step up their participation in the federal program. Meanwhile, ICE issued a directive in May instructing local police partners in Florida not to disclose information about their 287(g) operations or respond to public records requests without prior federal approval.

At the municipal level, leaders in Miami, Florida, faced mounting public pressure and protests in June demanding the city cancel its year-old 287(g) agreement. Immigrant advocates blamed the partnership for turning the police department into a leading hub for immigration arrests.

Elsewhere in the state, the sheriff's office in Palm Beach County, Florida, and the Florida Highway Patrol coordinated with federal agents on a four-day sweep in July that netted more than 300 arrests. Earlier body-camera footage highlighted deputies using 287(g) authority to hand over motorists to ICE during routine traffic stops. State cooperation with ICE has also extended beyond standard police departments; in March, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer detained a man at a park in Bonita Springs, Florida, over a disputed dog-bite claim and held him for 40 minutes until federal agents arrived.

Finally, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in late June that the state was closing the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center near Miami. The high-profile facility processed roughly 21,000 deportations following its opening in 2025.

Pennsylvania has seen a sweeping expansion of local police partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, growing from a handful of agreements early last year to more than 100 by the summer. ICE now lists 126 participating 287(g) agencies across Pennsylvania, giving the state the 3rd highest total in the country as arrests by local officers climb sharply. The widespread adoption has drawn intense scrutiny from immigrant rights groups as more local departments commit to enforcing federal law.

In York County, the West Manchester Township Board of Supervisors voted in July to enter a 287(g) agreement. The board ultimately approved the police department's proposal after it was temporarily withdrawn earlier in the year amid significant public opposition.

Mount Carmel Borough police began making immigration arrests over the summer under a new ICE partnership. Nearby, the Kulpmont borough council also approved a cooperation agreement by majority vote.

Hazleton ratified a 287(g) agreement earlier in the year. In July, the Shamokin Dam borough council authorized its police chief to apply for the program's task force model, adding to a growing list of local governments weighing ICE partnerships.

At the county level, a Bucks County judge ruled in June that the sheriff has independent legal authority to deputize deputies as ICE agents under a 287(g) agreement without county commissioner approval.

The drive to expand enforcement infrastructure met high-profile resistance when ICE formally abandoned plans to convert two large warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties into 9,000-bed detention centers. The federal agency withdrew its proposals after the state denied drinking water and wastewater permits and Gov. Josh Shapiro publicly opposed the projects.

Early last year, Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order establishing a statewide 287(g) designation, leading the Missouri State Highway Patrol to formalize a new enforcement partnership with ICE. The move spurred a wave of localized program expansion, and ICE now lists 118 participating agencies in Missouri, the 4th such total in the country.

At the municipal level, the city council in Ellisville, Missouri, approved a memorandum of agreement in June to partner directly with the Department of Homeland Security. The arrangement grants local police delegated federal immigration enforcement powers.

Local authorities have also stepped up joint field operations with federal agents. In June, the Pettis County Sheriff's Office, which participates in the 287(g) program, conducted a three-day targeted enforcement operation alongside ICE in Sedalia, Missouri, resulting in over a dozen arrests. Over the summer, federal agents collaborated with local police on operations in the Kansas City area that resulted in the rescue of missing children and the detention of undocumented people.

The 287(g) expansion extends into county jails across the state. Late last year, the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Office signed a Task Force Model 287(g) agreement. This spring, federal lawmakers toured the county's detention center and raised concerns about overcrowding and poor conditions for people held in ICE custody. By mid-July, the Greene County Jail reached a record of more than 400 people detained by ICE under a detention contract signed early last year.

Deaths inside Missouri facilities have drawn international diplomatic protests. In May, Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a formal protest over the 2025 suicide of a 27-year-old Colombian national held in ICE custody at the Phelps County Jail. In July, the Mexican government filed criminal complaints with county and state prosecutors in Missouri and several other states, requesting local investigations into the deaths of Mexican citizens during ICE operations or in federal custody.

A 2025 state law mandating local cooperation with ICE spurred the Arkansas State Police to sign a 287(g) task force agreement last summer. State police leadership reported earlier this year that the agency had issued dozens of immigration detainers under the partnership and claimed at least $4.2 million in federal incentive funds for equipment and services.

The state’s prison system has also formalized its role in federal enforcement. The Arkansas Department of Corrections joined the 287(g) program late last year, signing a jail enforcement agreement that authorizes select corrections officers to act as immigration agents and issue detainers for people held in state custody.

Beyond state-level departments, ICE now lists 104 participating agencies in Arkansas, giving the state the 5th highest total in the country. That footprint includes eight sheriff's offices across the Northwest Arkansas and River Valley regions that hold cooperation agreements.

Benton County, Arkansas, emerged as a major center for immigration enforcement under its 287(g) agreement last year. The county jail facilitated hundreds of ICE arrests during the year, frequently taking custody of people whose encounters with local law enforcement began with routine traffic stops.

In Northwest Arkansas, the Tontitown Police Department signed a 287(g) task force agreement with ICE this summer. The move prompted a local immigrant advocacy group to organize a boycott of the town's annual Grape Festival in July.

Alongside the formal agreements, state leaders and local agencies have actively supported broader ICE operations. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders deployed 40 Arkansas National Guard personnel last fall to assist ICE with detainee transport and administrative tasks. In February, a joint operation between federal and local agencies resulted in over 450 arrests statewide, including 219 people targeted for immigration violations. More recently, police and sheriff's deputies in Texarkana, Arkansas, collaborated with federal authorities on a June undercover operation at a nightclub that led ICE to detain 21 people.

Oklahoma’s 287(g) footprint includes 97 participating agencies, giving the state an absolute national standing of 6th. The developments in August showed both sides of that picture: the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and Tulsa County expanded their arrangements with ICE, while Oklahoma County commissioners declined to advance a proposed agreement.

In August, ICE expanded its partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety under the 287(g) Task Force Model. The agreement allows trained state officers to address certain immigration violations discovered during traffic stops and commercial-vehicle inspections, under ICE supervision. The arrangement also featured in coverage of Oklahoma’s debate over deportation policy.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office signed its own 287(g) Task Force Model agreement with ICE in July. By August, nine deputies had been certified to perform specified immigration-enforcement tasks under federal supervision, extending the sheriff’s cooperation with ICE beyond the county jail, according to local reporting on the partnership and an explainer of the agreement.

The expansion did not proceed uniformly across Oklahoma. On Aug. 19, Oklahoma County commissioners declined to take up Sheriff Tommie Johnson III’s proposed 287(g) agreement, leaving his request to train and authorize selected deputies for certain immigration-enforcement duties without approval. The decision was reported by Hoodline, OKC Fox, and News 9.

Tennessee’s 287(g) expansion accelerated after a state law required sheriffs to cooperate with the program or risk losing state funding. In July, the state reported that at least 23 sheriff’s offices and six municipal police departments had formed new 287(g) partnerships with ICE, according to reporting on the law’s effect on sheriff funding and ICE agreements.

The new partnerships accompanied a weeklong operation that ICE announced in June after it was conducted in May with the Sevierville, Tennessee, Police Department and other local agencies. ICE said the operation produced 117 arrests in Sevier County, Tennessee, and nearby parts of eastern Tennessee, a result reported by local television news and Spanish-language coverage of the operation.

ICE records cited in August reporting showed additional 287(g) agreements taking shape. They included a Warrant Service Officer agreement with the Anderson County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office and an agreement with the Coopertown, Tennessee, Police Department; Anderson County and Hickman County, Tennessee, also began entering that model, according to coverage of the Robertson County, Tennessee, police partnership.

Federal documents identified ZIP code 37010, which covers parts of Robertson and Montgomery counties, Tennessee, as the location for a contract worth up to $63 million for an ICE coordination and call center facility. The project is intended to support police departments and sheriff’s offices working with ICE under 287(g), but local officials said they had not received clear information about it. The contract and the uncertainty surrounding the proposed site were detailed in the initial report, follow-up reporting on residents’ concerns, and additional coverage of the federal contract.

ICE currently lists 95 participating agencies in the state under 115 287(g) agreements, ranking 7th nationally by absolute agency count.

State lawmakers and federal financial incentives have driven a surge in local immigration enforcement across Georgia this year. ICE currently lists 85 participating agencies in the state, giving Georgia the 8th highest total nationwide. Much of the activity follows the passage of a state law, HB 1105, which requires local sheriffs and police departments to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

In early July, the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office signed a formal 287(g) task-force agreement with ICE. Sheriff Greg Countryman stated the partnership will allow deputies to process people without legal status when they are encountered during targeted operations against cartels, though he maintained that the agency will not proactively seek out unauthorized immigrants.

The push for formal partnerships has met direct resistance in other parts of the state. In June, the Cairo City Council voted 3-2 to reject a proposed 287(g) agreement following widespread community protests. The city's police chief had initially requested the federal contract to ensure compliance with the new mandates under HB 1105.

Beyond formal 287(g) agreements, public records released over the summer revealed tight informal coordination between federal agents and local police in northeast Georgia. Text messages and body-camera footage showed that officers with the Jefferson Police Department used minor traffic infractions to stop work vans and directly summon ICE agents to the scene to arrest people suspected of being in the country without authorization.

Similar local enforcement tactics have drawn scrutiny elsewhere in the state earlier this year. A sheriff in northwest Georgia faced intense public backlash after a student was transferred to ICE custody following a routine traffic stop, underscoring the growing impact of heightened local enforcement efforts.

Louisiana's 287(g) record includes a substantial roster of participating agencies and agreements. ICE lists 82 participating agencies and 92 agreements in the state, ranking Louisiana 9th nationally by participating-agency count. The developments documented in this period involved both routine local policing and targeted operations carried out with federal immigration authorities.

In August, the Kenner Police Department received $590,020.83 from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE through its participation in the 287(g) Task Force Model. Under the agreement, officers can assist with immigration enforcement during routine police work, including identifying people during traffic stops and sharing information with ICE, according to reporting on the payment and agreement.

In July, the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office said it had partnered with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations for targeted operations. The sheriff’s office reported arrests involving people with prior removals, final removal orders, outstanding criminal warrants and other alleged criminal histories, according to its account of the operation.

Alabama’s 287(g) expansion unfolded alongside a 2026 executive order from the governor and added the Alabama Department of Corrections and six municipal police departments: Atmore, Clio, Coaling, Owens Cross Roads, Springville and Wetumpka. Reports listed 58 Alabama agencies as participants as of July 20, before those additions. Coverage of the prison system’s agreement, the Alabama Department of Corrections contract, and the growing list of local police agencies documented the change.

ICE now lists 70 participating agencies in Alabama, giving the state an absolute national standing of 10th. The additions broadened the program’s reach from county and municipal law enforcement to the state prison system, with questions about how the agreements will be staffed and how people identified for immigration violations will be transferred.

The expansion was accompanied by a withdrawal. The Anniston Police Department ended its 287(g) agreement in August, with Chief Clint Parris and city officials citing staffing constraints, local priorities and a lack of demonstrated local need for continued participation. The department’s decision was also reported alongside its effort to realign department priorities and the staffing concerns behind the move.

In Tuscumbia, Alabama, officials approved the police department’s request to join both the task-force and jail-enforcement models of the 287(g) program. Under the approved arrangement, trained officers may assist with identifying, detaining or transferring people under ICE authority, as authorized by the agency. The city’s approval added another municipal department to Alabama’s expanding roster.

The Baldwin County Commission approved an ICE agreement with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in June. The agreement allows deputies to participate in ICE operations and provides reimbursement for eligible immigration-enforcement work, linking local staffing and county funding to the 287(g) partnership. The Baldwin County deal came as other Alabama agencies were adding or renewing their roles.

Other county agencies described the practical effects of the partnerships. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said in August that it continued to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE in the arrest, detention and transfer of people covered by federal immigration law, and released transfer numbers in response to public concerns. The office’s statement clarified its position without announcing a change in the partnership.

In Colbert County, Alabama, commissioners approved more than $92,000 in equipment purchases in July using funds connected to the sheriff’s participation in the 287(g) program. The purchases included a patrol truck and 22 bulletproof vests, according to the report on the county spending.

The state’s broader enforcement activity also produced cases outside the agreement roster. In June, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations executed search warrants at Scholar Craft facilities in Birmingham, Alabama, and Irondale, Alabama, with state and local law-enforcement partners. Officials said more than 30 people were taken into custody in an investigation into alleged identity fraud and unlawful employment practices. Local reporting described the operation and its arrests.

A separate 287(g)-related case involved Juan Quim, whose July traffic stop in Littleville, Alabama, led to his transfer into ICE custody. ICE deported the 19-year-old Alabama high-school graduate to Guatemala in August, weeks after his graduation, according to reporting on the case.

In April, Governor Tate Reeves signed Senate Bill 2114, a state law that requires all Mississippi sheriff's departments to sign formal cooperation agreements with ICE.

The statewide requirement expands upon a growing base of local partnerships. Late last year, seven Mississippi agencies—including the Attorney General's Office and several sheriff's departments—joined the 287(g) program. ICE lists 54 participating agencies in Mississippi, giving the state the 11th highest total in the country.

Following the mandate's passage, the Clay and Noxubee county sheriff's offices signed 287(g) agreements to train deputies for delegated immigration enforcement duties.

Under the new statewide enforcement mandate, which took effect over the summer, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety is also authorized to create a state registry identifying undocumented immigrants living in the state.

In a parallel measure, the state enacted Senate Bill 2322 to invalidate out-of-state driver's licenses held by undocumented immigrants. State lawmakers championed the move as a deterrent to prevent Mississippi from operating as a sanctuary state.

As enforcement operations escalate, people held in ICE custody at the Adams County Correctional Center—Mississippi's primary detention facility—have reported severe overcrowding, noting that some individuals are forced to sleep on the floor after three people were placed in cells designed for two. Despite these conditions, the facility passed a federal inspection over the summer, even as it received its worst recorded scores regarding use-of-force reviews and internal oversight.

Kentucky’s 287(g) network expanded through new local agreements and a broader statewide enforcement policy during the reporting period. ICE now lists 53 participating agencies in Kentucky, the 12th such total in the country, with 55 agreements or memorandums of understanding. Six agencies signed 287(g) MOAs with ICE in January 2026, while the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office also reported an agreement; earlier signings included the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and detention center and the Lyon and Marshall County sheriff’s offices. Coverage of the state’s growing ICE partnerships, the Daviess County agreement, and earlier sheriff signings documented the expansion. Local offices also filed collaboration paperwork, while Lyon and Marshall counties announced their agreements.

Louisville’s jail policy produced a separate increase in the use of local custody for ICE enforcement. After Louisville began honoring 48-hour ICE detainers in summer 2025, the ACLU of Kentucky reported that ICE filed 344 requests from August 2025 through March 2026, compared with 326 during the preceding period. The jail released at least 528 people to ICE, including 157 later reported deported. The ACLU’s review and its campaign against the detainer policy called for the policy to be reversed and for a full accounting, while local reporting on the data and calls for a reversal documented the dispute. Louisville’s mayor defended the policy and said its cost to taxpayers was negligible, according to an examination of the jail’s role.

The Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky, which holds people for ICE, came under congressional scrutiny during the summer. Members of Congress reported complaints about food, medication, medical care and other conditions during a July oversight visit, then opened an investigation. The lawmakers’ initial account described health concerns raised by people held at the facility, while subsequent reporting detailed the allegations and county officials’ denials. Kentucky coverage of the visit and the lawmakers’ announcement of the investigation showed the dispute moving from complaints inside the jail to formal congressional oversight.

In April 2025, Oldham and Bullitt counties were also reported to be assisting ICE through local detention facilities and 287(g)-related arrangements. Jail officials described the cooperation as part of their law-enforcement responsibilities, while residents raised concerns about its effects, according to a report on the counties’ agreements to house people for ICE.

South Carolina's participation expanded through signed agreements and enforcement operations reported in May and June. ICE lists 52 participating agencies and 59 agreements in the state, placing South Carolina at 13th nationally by absolute participating-agency count. The network includes sheriff's offices, police departments, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, amid a broader push by Gov. Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson for stronger state and local cooperation with ICE.

A statewide review found sheriff's offices and police departments participating in the 287(g) program, while reporting on local agencies' agreements with ICE described how the cooperation operates. Wilson also urged additional law-enforcement agencies to join, arguing that local participation strengthens immigration enforcement.

In June last year, the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office entered a 287(g) agreement with ICE. Sheriff Sam Richardson said the office's stated purpose was general law enforcement, not seeking undocumented residents, according to coverage of the agreement.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol and ICE reported arresting 114 people in June during operations along the I-26 and I-85 corridors. Reports described a major highway operation involving state and local agencies, including a 114-arrest operation along I-26 and I-85, a 27-arrest operation in the Upstate, and state police and ICE focusing on traffic violations along I-85.

In May, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office assisted ICE and other federal agencies in a 287(g) operation in Bluffton targeting people who had received federal removal orders. Coverage of the May 29 operation described the sheriff's office's role, while local reporting reported that the Jasper County Sheriff's Office also had a 287(g) agreement.

The Bluffton operation generated public pushback. Residents and activists rallied after the ICE arrests, raising concerns that local participation involved civil immigration enforcement rather than only criminal cases. A second account quoted protesters saying, “We’re out here because other people can’t be.”.

In June, ICE and state and local agencies raided Burnstein von Seelen Precision Casting in Abbeville County. ICE detained 48 workers over alleged immigration violations, while a state grand jury indicted six people in a related document-fraud and hiring investigation, according to reporting on the plant raid.

Kansas’s 287(g) network grew through both state-level and local agreements during the period covered. ICE now lists 44 participating agencies in Kansas, the 14th such total in the country, and 55 distinct agreements.

In April 2026, Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of HB 2372. The law removed a requirement that county commissions approve local law-enforcement agreements with outside entities such as ICE, making it possible for Kansas sheriffs to enter 287(g) partnerships without that county-level approval. The change was reported as allowing Kansas sheriffs to sign ICE agreements without county approval.

The state also established a formal federal partnership last year. In February 2025, the Kansas attorney general’s office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation signed a Department of Homeland Security agreement allowing a limited number of KBI agents to assist ICE with immigration enforcement and removals in Kansas. The state announcement described Kansas as the second state to deputize state law-enforcement personnel for the work, while national reporting detailed the return of ICE’s 287(g) task-force model and the authority available to participating local officials.

By November 2025, Kansas reporting documented a widening network of local ICE partnerships, including a 287(g) agreement with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. Under that agreement, one deputy would receive ICE training to issue administrative warrants, and the Sedgwick County, Kansas, jail could hold people for up to 48 hours so ICE could take custody. A statewide report described Sedgwick County’s agreement alongside other Kansas partnerships, while additional coverage examined the number of agencies involved and the sheriff’s office’s limited agreement.

In 2025, Gov. Mike Braun directed Indiana law-enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, while state agencies announced related agreements under the 287(g) program. By the end of the year, reports counted 14 Indiana agencies participating in the program, including sheriffs’ offices and other local agencies covered in a statewide roster review. Braun’s directive and the state’s designated law-enforcement agencies were also reported in coverage of the executive order and the related immigration-enforcement powers. An earlier account identified several Indiana agencies that had formally joined ICE’s 287(g) program.

In August 2026, ICE and the Indiana State Police were reported to have expanded a 287(g) Task Force Model agreement. Under the arrangement, trained state troopers operating under federal supervision may address suspected immigration violations encountered during traffic stops and commercial-vehicle inspections, then transfer people to federal custody, according to a report on the expansion and additional reporting on the role of state and local police.

The state-police partnership had already produced a large recorded enforcement operation in northwest Indiana in fall 2025. Indiana State Police and federal officials announced 223 arrests during the highway operation, including 146 truck drivers, as reported in coverage of the arrests and an account focused on the drivers.

Indiana’s Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana, also drew congressional scrutiny in 2026 because it holds people for ICE. Two people held there died, and ICE acknowledged that 799 prescribed medication doses were missed between April 1 and April 22; Rep. André Carson called for heightened oversight and renewed demands to end ICE detention operations at the facility. Reporting on the deaths, medical backlogs and Carson’s response detailed the concerns raised about conditions inside the prison.

ICE currently lists 40 participating agencies in the state under 43 287(g) agreements, ranking 15th nationally by absolute agency count.

West Virginia’s broader cooperation with ICE began last year, when Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a letter of intent for state participation in the 287(g) immigration-enforcement program. In August 2025, he announced an arrangement involving designated state and local officers, the West Virginia State Police, corrections personnel and the National Guard. Reports said participating officers could question people about their immigration status during routine duties, while a State Police leader later briefed lawmakers on the agreement.

ICE’s current roster lists 39 participating agencies and 39 agreements in West Virginia, placing the state at 16th nationally by absolute participating-agency count. Coverage of the expanded ICE agreements also identified the State Police and other state personnel as participants.

The expansion produced a reported two-week enforcement operation in January 2026. ICE said more than 650 people were arrested, while state and local reporting said 14 agencies participated through 287(g) partnerships. WV MetroNews described the statewide surge, while WBOY reported the arrest total.

The January operation became the focus of in-state criticism and review. People gathered at the Capitol in March to protest Morrisey’s ICE pact and raise due-process concerns. Reports published in June questioned ICE’s account and said about 75% of those arrested had no criminal record, a claim discussed in West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s coverage and West Virginia Watch.

Lawmakers also proposed a statutory limit. In February 2026, Delegate Lewis introduced House Bill 5589, which would prohibit certain immigration-enforcement agreements, restrict participation in federal immigration-enforcement activities without a judicial warrant, and create oversight and remedies for unlawful detention.

In June, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode Governor Josh Stein's veto to enact Senate Bill 153, a measure requiring four state-level departments to sign 287(g) agreements with federal immigration enforcement. The new law compels the State Highway Patrol, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, and the Bureau of Investigation to partner with ICE. It also eliminates government immunity for local jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities, and mandates that the Highway Patrol submit a progress report on its new partnership by October 1. ICE currently lists 27 participating agencies in North Carolina, the 17th such total in the country.

At the municipal level, the police department in Kenansville, North Carolina, signed a 287(g) task force agreement in May. The signing authorized local officers to perform federal immigration enforcement duties alongside ICE agents during street-level operations, rather than strictly in a jail setting. In mid-July, federal immigration agents detained three people during a local police driver's license checkpoint in the town after Kenansville officers contacted ICE.

In Henderson County, North Carolina, Sheriff Lowell Griffin announced in May that his office would renew its existing 287(g) jail partnership with ICE. The renewal followed sustained pressure from the county Board of Commissioners and local residents to maintain the local enforcement program.

Governor Abigail Spanberger signed the Virginia Community Safety and Trust Act this year, a law restricting local 287(g) agreements and banning federal immigration officers from wearing masks during operations. The legislation prompted an immediate response from the U.S. Department of Justice, which sued the state and secured a federal court order temporarily blocking the mask ban just hours before the law took effect on July 1.

Spanberger had previously issued executive orders dissolving former Governor Glenn Youngkin's 287(g) agreements for state police and game wardens. The Department of Homeland Security publicly condemned the rollback, claiming the state's withdrawal from ICE cooperation made Virginia a "hotbed" for crime following the arrest of an undocumented person charged with the murder of a child in Louisa County, Virginia, in July.

Despite the sweeping state-level pushback, ICE currently lists 26 participating agencies in Virginia, representing the 18th such total in the country. Several local sheriffs have signaled their intent to keep their local-federal ties active.

In June, the sheriff’s office in Greene County, Virginia, partnered with ICE for a major joint traffic enforcement operation that resulted in 49 people being arrested. The joint sweep was executed just days before the state's new legislation curbing local-federal cooperation went into effect.

Similarly, the sheriff’s office in Loudoun County, Virginia, announced that its 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement with ICE will remain active for the time being, despite the new state laws targeting the program.

Elsewhere in the state, local leaders took their own steps to limit federal enforcement. In May, officials in Richmond, Virginia, directed the city's police department to stop sharing automated license plate reader data with other law enforcement agencies that maintain partnerships with ICE. Meanwhile, federal authorities continue to press local jails for cooperation, with ICE lodging an immigration detainer over the summer with authorities in Fairfax County, Virginia, urging them to hold a Nicaraguan national arrested on local charges.

Last year, Governor Kelly Ayotte signed legislation requiring local police departments to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The law cemented a statewide policy that forbids municipalities from banning 287(g) agreements, setting the stage for the expansion of local immigration enforcement across New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire State Police enrolled as a 287(g) task force partner last year, anchoring a statewide network that has since grown to include over two dozen county and municipal law enforcement agencies. ICE now lists 25 participating agencies in New Hampshire, giving the state the 19th largest total in the country. Recent additions include police departments in the towns of Weare and Hillsboro alongside Pittsfield and Gorham.

Officers operating under these delegated-authority agreements have executed dozens of arrests of people suspected of immigration violations statewide. Enforcement has been particularly concentrated in Troy, New Hampshire. Meanwhile, several local agencies received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal payments for their participation, including a $122,515 wire transfer to the Carroll Police Department earlier this year.

The spread of ICE contracts has sparked public debate. Following mixed votes on federal immigration cooperation at town meetings in March and a newly launched statewide petition by civil rights advocates condemning the agreements, Grafton County Sheriff Jillian Myers terminated her agency's 287(g) partnership in June.

A steady stream of local law enforcement agencies joined the 287(g) program over the past year, expanding Wisconsin's role in federal immigration enforcement. Earlier this year, sheriffs in Dunn, Green Lake and Walworth counties in Wisconsin entered into warrant service officer agreements with ICE. The Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Sheriff’s Office finalized its own 287(g) contract in January, following signings last year by Marathon, Washington and Winnebago counties in Wisconsin. ICE now lists 21 participating agencies in the state, giving Wisconsin the 20th such total in the country.

As the roster of participating counties grows, the 287(g) agreements have faced mounting legal challenges. In July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a stay on a lawsuit brought by the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera that challenges the legality of local sheriffs partnering with ICE. The court paused the case pending the exhaustion of a federal appeal over the partnerships.

Tensions over local enforcement efforts also escalated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit in July over a city ordinance that regulates how federal agents operate. The DOJ sued the city over a policy that prohibits federal and local law enforcement officers—including ICE agents—from wearing masks while on duty.

The expansion of local partnerships coincides with a broader rise in the number of people held in ICE custody across the state. Federal data released over the summer indicates that ICE is detaining more people in Wisconsin local jails than in previous years, reporting a 25 percent increase in the state's average daily immigration detention population.

The increase in enforcement activity prompted pushback from other local institutions and community groups. Earlier this year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced it would stop sharing automated license plate reader data with Wisconsin counties that maintain enforcement agreements with ICE. Meanwhile, the police department in Palmyra, Wisconsin, withdrew an application for a 287(g) task force agreement last year following opposition from the ACLU and local organizers.

Ten rural police departments across the state maintain active 287(g) Task Force Model agreements to assist with federal immigration enforcement, contributing to the 19 total participating agencies ICE lists in Ohio. However, local staffing shortages have reportedly limited their operational capacity to actively aid federal authorities.

County sheriffs in jurisdictions including Butler County, Ohio, and Mahoning County, Ohio, continue to maintain lucrative ICE detention contracts. In early budget planning, the Butler County sheriff projected an estimated 28% revenue increase from housing people detained by ICE, while the Mahoning County arrangement similarly functions as a major revenue stream for local jail operations.

Major municipalities have taken a contrary approach to local data sharing. Columbus, Ohio, officials cut off access to the city's Flock license-plate reader network for several outside law-enforcement agencies that maintain 287(g) agreements. The restriction followed an audit revealing the surveillance system had been queried thousands of times for immigration purposes, prompting limits on broader data dissemination.

The state ranks 21st nationally by absolute participating-agency count under 287(g).

North Dakota's 287(g) participation began in spring 2025, when the Dickinson Police Department and the Dunn and McKenzie County sheriff's offices appeared on ICE's roster. More county sheriff's offices joined during the summer and fall of 2025, including those in Bowman, Mercer, Ramsey, Renville and Burke counties. Williams County Sheriff's Office also joined in spring 2026.

The statewide North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation joined in summer 2026, alongside police departments in Ray, Stanley and Berthold. ICE now lists 15 participating agencies in North Dakota under 20 agreements. Nearly all operate through county sheriff's offices under the 287(g) Task Force Model.

There is relatively little 287(g) news about North Dakota compared with most of the country, and little additional in-state reporting to summarize here. That thin coverage does not mean nothing is happening: even places with no 287(g) agreements can still see heavy immigration-enforcement action.

The state's 287(g) roster expansion accelerated last year when the Utah County Commission unanimously approved a suite of partnerships—including the Task Force and Warrant Service Officer models—as well as a secure data-sharing agreement with ICE. The measures passed in July 2025 following hours of public testimony from residents who voiced concerns over racial profiling and family separation, despite the commission ultimately finalizing the cooperation policies.

A series of county-level immigration enforcement partnerships took effect around the same time. Weber County formalized an agreement to join the program, and Wasatch County became the ninth sheriff's office in the state to sign a cooperation pact with federal authorities in early August 2025.

Also that August, the Riverton Police Department announced it had signed a 287(g) Task Force agreement, marking the first time a municipal police department in the state formally joined the program.

Despite the growing number of local agreements, the Utah Sheriffs' Association expressed frustration with ICE later that summer after federal officials attempted to directly recruit local deputies for immigration operations without first coordinating with county sheriffs.

Rounding out the state's federal cooperation efforts, the Utah National Guard sought volunteers last year to assist the Department of Homeland Security and ICE with logistical and administrative support. ICE now lists 13 participating agencies in Utah, the 22nd such total in the country. However, transparency concerns persist; as of this summer, local media reports indicated that most participating law enforcement agencies declined to publicly discuss how their 287(g) partnerships function in practice.

Wyoming has seen steady growth in local immigration enforcement, with ICE now listing 13 participating agencies and 19 active 287(g) agreements across the state. This footprint gives Wyoming the 22nd largest absolute program roster in the country. The growth continued this spring as multiple jurisdictions entered the 287(g) program. Authorities in Wheatland, Wyoming, alongside Shoshoni, Pine Bluffs, and Moorcroft, signed Task Force agreements in April, followed by Hot Springs County, Wyoming, joining the program in May.

The proliferation of the partnerships has triggered legal challenges over how they are enacted. In May, the ACLU of Wyoming sued Brian Kozak, the sheriff of Laramie County, Wyoming, alleging his office violated state law by entering into three 287(g) agreements last year without county commission approval or public input.

Following the lawsuit in Laramie County, civil rights advocates launched a statewide public records campaign in June. The inquiry targeted the Wyoming Highway Patrol and seven other counties to investigate how their respective 287(g) agreements were authorized at the local level.

The deputized authority has already shaped policing tactics on the ground. In May, deputies in Laramie County utilizing the 287(g) Task Force model detained seven people for immigration violations during a single five-hour highway traffic enforcement shift.

Elsewhere in the state, public records released over the summer showed authorities in Campbell County, Wyoming, transferred 87 people to ICE custody during a 13-month period ending in June. In July, commissioners in Teton County, Wyoming, authorized an independent assessment of local immigration policies after the county prosecutor questioned the legality of honoring 48-hour ICE detainers. Additionally, a Colorado-based immigration advocacy firm filed a lawsuit accusing Laramie County officials of withholding evidence and issuing an inaccurate report in a deportation case.

Earlier this year, the Idaho Sheriffs' Association successfully opposed a state legislative mandate that would have required all local law enforcement agencies to apply for 287(g) agreements. The legislation ultimately died, with sheriffs testifying in July that partnerships with federal immigration enforcement must remain voluntary local decisions rather than state directives. ICE now lists 11 participating agencies in Idaho, the 24th highest total in the country.

At the state level, the Idaho State Police have actively utilized their 287(g) authority under Governor Brad Little's "Operation No Return." By late spring, state troopers had transferred 130 convicted individuals from state prisons and county jails into ICE custody.

At the local level, the Post Falls Police Department signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE in July. The move made Post Falls, Idaho, the first municipal police agency in the state to join the federal immigration enforcement program, which typically partners with county jails and sheriff's offices.

Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford, who opposed the statewide mandate, announced plans in May to sign a 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement with ICE for his own jurisdiction in Ada County, Idaho.

Elsewhere in the state, the sheriff's office in Owyhee County, Idaho, received more than $115,000 from the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year for equipment related to a 287(g) task-force agreement signed last year. In July, deputies in Teton County, Idaho, assisted ICE agents during multi-day enforcement operations, where witnesses reported federal agents searching vehicles and detaining people following minor traffic stops. Meanwhile, authorities in Canyon County, Idaho, joined federal agencies in June in seeking to dismiss an ACLU lawsuit over an October 2025 raid in Wilder, Idaho, where local deputies assisted ICE in an operation that led to the zip-tying of a 14-year-old girl.

Last year, Governor Jim Pillen announced plans to convert a state work camp in McCook, Nebraska, into a federal immigration detention center and to bring the Nebraska State Patrol into the 287(g) program. The proposed detention facility, which officials dubbed the "Cornhusker Clink," marked a major executive commitment to expand ICE's local footprint.

At the county level, the sheriff's office in Wheeler County, Nebraska, signed a 287(g) agreement last year, becoming the first law enforcement agency in the state to adopt ICE's intensive task force model. The move added to the state's enforcement roster, which currently features 9 participating agencies and ranks 27th nationwide by absolute participation.

The executive push for the McCook facility and State Patrol participation prompted immediate legislative resistance. State lawmakers introduced legislation earlier this year seeking to void Nebraska's ICE partnerships, drawing widespread testimony from residents and advocates opposing the agreements during public hearings.

Civil rights organizations have mobilized across the state to block further local expansion. Advocates have actively pressured local officials to drop proposed ICE partnerships, focusing public campaigns on sheriffs weighing potential agreements in Dakota and Douglas counties in Nebraska.

The statewide enforcement landscape hinges on Proposition 314, a voter-approved measure that authorizes state and local police to arrest people who cross the border outside legal ports of entry and allows state judges to order deportations. In July, a federal judge declined to temporarily block the law. The judge ruled it was too early to issue an injunction because no people had yet been arrested under its provisions, despite a lawsuit from civil rights groups arguing the scheme unconstitutionally usurps federal immigration authority.

Local participation in delegated immigration enforcement remains a focus in the courts, as ICE now lists 9 participating agencies in Arizona, the 27th such total in the country. Earlier this year, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge struck down a unilateral 287(g) task force agreement signed by the Pinal County Attorney, ruling that the official lacked the legal authority to enter the ICE partnership without approval from the county Board of Supervisors.

The state government also pushed back against federal enforcement mandates. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined a coalition of states in a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's policy of withholding homeland security and emergency management grants from jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal immigration priorities.

In a separate legal dispute led by the Attorney General's Office, federal immigration authorities agreed in July to pause the conversion of a large warehouse in Surprise into an ICE detention facility. The project is on hold pending a mandatory environmental review.

Elsewhere in the state, a conservative legal group sued Governor Katie Hobbs in July over her administration's launch of a website informing Arizonans of their rights during ICE encounters, seeking public records on the taxpayer funds used to create the resource. The launch follows tension this spring, when federal immigration officials at a Phoenix border security exposition warned of increased operations and collateral arrests in Arizona cities that decline to cooperate with ICE, prompting public pushback from Tucson's mayor and local congressional representatives.

In July, a federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to overturn policies in the state of Minnesota, as well as in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and St. Paul, Minnesota, that limit local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. The ruling affirmed that the federal government cannot compel state and local authorities to hold people for federal immigration agents or otherwise assist with civil immigration enforcement.

Even as the state successfully defended its non-cooperation policies in court, ICE currently lists 9 participating agencies in Minnesota, which is the 27th highest total in the country. Over the course of last year, sheriffs in eight rural Minnesota counties—Cass, Crow Wing, Freeborn, Itasca, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Mille Lacs and Sherburne—signed 287(g) agreements to formally delegate certain federal immigration enforcement functions to their local deputies. The moves prompted immediate pushback across the state.

Late last year, the ACLU of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against Freeborn County, Minnesota, challenging its entry into the 287(g) program. Civil rights advocates argue that the partnership violates state law by allowing county jails to hold people suspected of non-immigration offenses longer than normally permitted in order to facilitate transfers into ICE custody.

The legality of the agreements has also drawn scrutiny at the local government level. In February, commissioners in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, formally reviewed the 287(g) contract signed by the county sheriff, acting on a state attorney general's opinion that raised questions about the partnership’s validity.

Community opposition has continued over the summer, as residents and civil rights organizers packed a board meeting in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, to protest the local sheriff's office's 287(g) task-force agreement with ICE.

The state's shift toward local immigration enforcement began in May 2025, when Governor Larry Rhoden and Attorney General Marty Jackley announced a push to expand South Dakota's role in processing and removals. Following a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Division of Criminal Investigation formally applied for 287(g) authority to identify people for immigration violations. ICE now lists 7 participating agencies across South Dakota, giving the state the 31st highest total in the country.

By the summer of 2025, the state launched "Operation: Prairie Thunder," a collaborative enforcement effort directly pairing the Highway Patrol with federal agents. The initiative steadily broadened its operations throughout the state and was subsequently extended into 2026.

Local jurisdictions simultaneously stepped up their own involvement. During that same period, the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office detailed its participation in the 287(g) program, establishing direct cooperation with federal immigration agents inside the state's most populous county to screen people booked into the local jail.

In August 2025, the governor deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to Sioux Falls and Rapid City to help process arrest paperwork for federal immigration agents. State officials also announced their intent to establish a 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model agreement covering the entire Department of Corrections, allowing ICE to take custody of people in state prisons.

Even as state-level enforcement escalated, some local leaders pushed back against the operations. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken publicly distanced the city's municipal police department from the state and federal mobilizations, clarifying that city officers were not participating in the crackdowns.

The partnerships have generated significant removal numbers. By the spring and summer of 2026, Governor Rhoden reported that state cooperation had already assisted in the deportation of hundreds of people. Following those results, state officials announced plans for additional trooper training, and the Highway Patrol received over $150,000 in federal funding to sustain the ongoing enforcement operations.

Michigan has seen a steady expansion of local law enforcement partnerships with federal immigration authorities over the past year. ICE currently lists 8 participating agencies in the state, which ranks 30th nationwide for active agreements. The most recent addition came over the summer, when the Livingston County Sheriff's Office signed a 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement. The arrangement authorizes designated deputies to serve federal administrative warrants on people already held in the county jail.

The Livingston County partnership follows 287(g) agreements established last year by Jackson County and the city of Taylor. Jackson County entered the Warrant Service Officer program in April of last year, while the Taylor Police Department adopted the more expansive Task Force model the following month.

Not all recent partnerships have endured. The Metro Police Authority of Genesee County also signed a Task Force agreement last summer, but the police chief rescinded the partnership in October of last year, citing department staffing shortages.

Local ICE partnerships have prompted organized community pushback across multiple jurisdictions. Earlier this year, residents and advocates in Berrien County and the Saginaw County village of Oakley held protests and town halls urging local officials to terminate their law enforcement agreements with ICE.

Meanwhile, the federal government filed a lawsuit against Washtenaw County over the spring, challenging local policies that restrict law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents.

Enforcing the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act signed earlier this year, the newly created state Office of Immigrant Trust ordered a dozen local law enforcement agencies to dissolve their 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by late August. The mandated unwinding impacts formal cooperation pacts across several jurisdictions, including notices sent to sheriffs in Nassau, Rensselaer, and Madison counties. ICE currently lists 6 participating agencies in New York, the 31st such total in the country.

Several local officials pushed back against the state's sanctuary legislation following the directive. Representatives in Rensselaer County pledged to defy the order to cancel their long-standing 287(g) agreement, while officials in Nassau County and Yorktown threatened legal action and called for a full repeal of the statewide ban on local law enforcement cooperation with ICE.

In New York City, a conservative legal organization distributed a manual to local police officers advising them that federal law permits them to share immigration status information directly with ICE, circumventing local sanctuary directives. The guidance surfaced over the summer as Mayor Zohran Mamdani took executive actions reaffirming the city's refusal to collaborate with federal immigration enforcement.

Elsewhere on Long Island, U.S. Representative Nick LaLota announced he will withhold federal project funding from East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village. The congressman stated the funds will remain frozen until the municipalities repeal local ordinances that prohibit 287(g) agreements and restrict local police from assisting ICE with civil immigration matters.

ICE lists 6 participating agencies in Montana, the 32nd such total in the country. The state's 287(g) program and related local enforcement efforts have become a primary target for public resistance this year, drawing intense scrutiny from residents and state officials alike. In Helena, Montana, a January City Commission resolution prohibiting the local police department from signing a 287(g) agreement prompted swift pushback from the state capital. Gov. Greg Gianforte and Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced an investigation into the city, asserting that Helena’s policy against cooperating with federal immigration enforcement may violate a 2021 state law banning sanctuary cities. The state leaders warned that the city's move to restrict police work with ICE could incur legal consequences.

In Gallatin County, Montana, commissioners terminated the sheriff's 287(g) agreement in June following months of public opposition and a lawsuit. Residents sued the county in the spring, successfully arguing that the 2020 partnership with ICE was legally void because the commission had never formally approved it. The legal challenge followed widespread protests outside the local courthouse, where community members rallied against the partnership.

Similar friction over delegated enforcement surfaced in other jurisdictions earlier this year. In Flathead County, Montana, residents heavily pressured the County Commission in January to withdraw from a local immigration enforcement agreement between the sheriff's office and ICE. Meanwhile, the sheriff in Blaine County, Montana, stated over the summer that while his agency honors federal immigration detainers upon request, it will not enter into a formal 287(g) partnership.

Beyond the local 287(g) debates, state and county agencies have maintained other avenues of cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Late last year, the Montana Highway Patrol participated in a joint targeted enforcement operation with federal border agents that resulted in dozens of arrests. Additionally, a report published last year highlighted how Cascade County, Montana, has utilized immigration detention as a revenue generator at its local jail.

ICE currently lists 4 participating agencies in Nevada, giving the state the 33rd such total in the country. The federal footprint grew noticeably last year when two major law enforcement agencies signed new 287(g) jail agreements, reversing a multi-year lull in program expansion and reigniting debates over local police involvement in deportations.

In May of last year, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department entered a 287(g) agreement with ICE for the Clark County Detention Center. The partnership authorizes local officers to serve civil immigration warrants and hold people in custody for up to 48 hours for federal agents. Between the program's launch and the beginning of this year, the department reported facilitating more than 1,150 ICE arrests at the facility, drawing intense scrutiny from civil rights advocates.

The Las Vegas signing followed a similar move in northern Nevada, where the Douglas County Sheriff's Office signed a 287(g) jail enforcement agreement in February of last year. The pact made Douglas County the first jurisdiction in the state to join the federal program in approximately five years.

The sudden expansion prompted legal challenges, culminating when the ACLU of Nevada sued the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department late last year. The civil rights group argued that the agency's 287(g) agreement violates state law and erodes the judicial system. A state court judge dismissed the lawsuit earlier this year, prompting the organization to appeal the case to the Nevada Supreme Court this spring.

State leaders remain publicly divided over local immigration enforcement. Under a 2021 state law, the Nevada attorney general issued guidance advising local agencies to focus on crime prevention rather than immigration enforcement. In contrast, the governor maintains that Nevada is not a sanctuary state and insists that local authorities will continue to cooperate with federal immigration agents.

Despite the formalized jail agreements, direct cooperation in the field has encountered friction. Over the summer, Las Vegas municipal police intervened during an attempted ICE apprehension at Harry Reid International Airport. Local officers removed handcuffs from an elderly man detained by federal agents after determining there was no active arrest warrant or legal basis for local police to hold him.

Last year, the Iowa Department of Public Safety signed a 287(g) task force agreement with ICE, deputizing three state officers to enforce federal immigration law and drawing pushback from labor advocates. ICE now lists 2 participating agencies in Iowa, the 34th such total in the country.

Following the agreement, immigrant advocates filed civil rights complaints in July alleging that Iowa State Patrol troopers are using routine traffic stops to question drivers about their immigration status and coordinate arrests with ICE agents. The filings assert that troopers have held people for transfer to federal custody rather than releasing them.

State officials have broadly pushed to increase local immigration enforcement. State lawmakers advanced legislation earlier this year that would legally mandate all local law enforcement agencies in the state to comply with ICE detainers. This follows a high-profile effort last year by the Iowa attorney general, who sued the sheriff of Winneshiek County, Iowa, after the department publicly stated it did not always need to hold people at the request of federal immigration authorities. A federal appeals court also blocked a separate state law last year that would have allowed local law enforcement to arrest people based solely on their immigration status.

Despite pressure to expand cooperation with ICE, some local jurisdictions have maintained their distance. Citing concerns over jail capacity and county resources, the sheriff in Dubuque County, Iowa, formally declined to sign a 287(g) agreement last year despite national pressure to participate in the program. However, over the summer, the city council in Decorah, Iowa, rejected a resident-led push to end local police cooperation with ICE agents for the second time in under a year.

In February, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Immigrant Safety Act, prohibiting local law enforcement agencies from entering into 287(g) agreements and banning local governments from holding immigration detention contracts. The legislation aimed to end state complicity with federal immigration enforcement and prevent local resources from being used to hold people detained by ICE.

The new law arrived shortly after the Sheriff's Office in Curry County, New Mexico, signed a 287(g) agreement last year, becoming the first law enforcement agency in the state to formalize a delegated-authority partnership with ICE.

After the statewide ban took effect in May, the sheriffs of Curry County and Torrance County refused to terminate their 287(g) agreements. In response, Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed lawsuits against the two counties and their sheriffs to force compliance with the Immigrant Safety Act.

Beyond this legal standoff, there is relatively little 287(g) news in New Mexico compared with most of the country. ICE currently lists 2 participating agencies in the state, which ranks 34th nationwide.

There is relatively little 287(g) news reported in Alaska compared with most of the country, but the state maintains an active roster of local enforcement partnerships. Most of the state's participating agencies signed 287(g) agreements during 2021, beginning that winter with the Kodiak Police Department. A few others joined later, most notably the statewide Alaska Department of Corrections in the spring of last year. Across the state, almost all of these active partnerships take the local shape of county sheriff's offices operating under the Task Force Model.

In February, the Alaska Department of Corrections confirmed that its 287(g) agreement involves screening inmate rosters, a protocol that triggered an ICE detainer for a man booked into a correctional center in Juneau, Alaska, following a local traffic stop. Meanwhile, the Anchorage Police, Juneau Police, and Alaska State Troopers stated that they do not have formal 287(g) agreements.

In December of last year, Governor Mike Dunleavy approved a federal request to deploy the Alaska National Guard to provide administrative and logistical support to the ICE office in Anchorage, Alaska, for up to a year. The domestic assignment prompted state lawmakers to question the legality of the deployment.

Over the summer of last year, the Alaska Department of Corrections accepted a transfer of roughly 40 out-of-state people held in ICE custody to the Anchorage Correctional Complex to relieve overcrowding at a facility in Tacoma, Washington. The arrangement sparked legislative hearings and scrutiny over detention conditions before the men were transferred back out of state.

In January, members of the Anchorage Assembly introduced a resolution opposing federal immigration enforcement and calling for restrictions on local cooperation, funding, and enforcement powers related to ICE operations.

There is relatively little 287(g) activity and little news to report in the Northern Mariana Islands compared with most of the country. ICE currently lists 2 participating agencies in the territory operating under 2 active agreements.

While there have been no documented initiatives to deputize territorial police or corrections officers recently, a lack of 287(g) news does not mean the region is completely insulated from immigration enforcement. Jurisdictions with few or no formal delegation agreements can still see heavy federal enforcement action, as federal authorities routinely arrest and hold people in ICE custody independently of local law enforcement.