ICE Cooperation Program Quadruples Nationwide: Dave Ray from the Federation for American Immigration Reform joins JT. The number of jurisdictions participating in the 287(g) program, a program that deputizes local law enforcement to conduct immigration enforcement, has quadrupled from 36 to 142 since President Trump’s Inauguration in January 2017.
The 287(g) program grants federal immigration powers to local law enforcement. These powers include inquiring about the immigration status of an individual, using federal databases to check the immigration status of an individual, and the ability to transfer illegal aliens to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
With ICE only having roughly 6,000 deportation officers, the cooperation agreement acts as a force multiplier and is one of the best examples of how local and federal law enforcement can cooperate to protect the public.
The additional cooperation agreements will help mitigate the obstruction of immigration enforcement by sanctuary jurisdictions. These 600, or so, sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide shield illegal aliens from law enforcement.
The exponential increase in local jurisdiction that prioritize public safety and uphold the rule of law by participating in the 287(g) program is an encouraging response to local policies that undermine immigration enforcement.