More than 250 ICE agreements signed with Texas law enforcement in a year

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(The Center Square) – In one year, fewer than 200 Texas law enforcement agencies have signed more than 250 agreements with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) program to assist with immigration enforcement.

There are 82,815 licensed peace officers and nearly 25,000 licensed jailers in Texas, according to the latest Texas Commission on Law Enforcement data. Among them are 250 elected sheriffs.

The program is named after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996, 8 USC 1357, Section 287(g)(1), which authorizes ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration functions under its supervision. The Trump administration is encouraging law enforcement to participate in all three models: the Jail Enforcement Model (JEM), Task Force Model (TFM) and Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model, The Center Square reported. Training is free and participants receive federal funding.  

The TFM is considered a critical tool because it creates a “force multiplier” to help federal agents “deport removable aliens involved in gang activity, violent crimes, human smuggling, organized crime, sex offenses, drug smuggling, money laundering and many other crimes,” ICE explains. 

Of the 254 agreements that have been signed in Texas as of Feb. 9, only 81 are for the TFM, according to ICE data reviewed by The Center Square. Only 19 police departments have signed 287(g) agreements in Texas; all are for the TFM. Only three state agencies, seven constables and three municipal marshal’s offices have signed 287(g) agreements. All of them have signed TFM agreements, according to the data. 

Out of Texas’ 254 sheriffs, 164 have signed 287(g) agreements. Only 50 are participating in the TFM, or 20% of Texas sheriffs, according to the data. 

No correctional facilities in Texas are participating in 287(g), including the largest prison system run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. By contrast, Democratic-led Arizona Department of Corrections and Massachusetts Department of Corrections are participating in the JEM, according to the data. 

Of the Texas law enforcement agencies participating in 287(g), 40 are participating in an Operation Lone Star Task force led by Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd, with many participating in all three models. 

The 196 Texas law enforcement agencies participating in 287(g) is up significantly from the 40 that had signed on last May when The Center Square first reported on the data. 

There are 10 pending agreements in Texas as of Feb. 10, according to the data.

By contrast, Florida is the only state to have all of its sheriff’s participating in 287(g); nearly all are participating in the TFM. Many are participating in all three programs, The Center Square reported. 

Florida is leading the country with the most agreements signed of 329, with nearly all agencies participating in the TFM. Florida also has 12 state agencies, 15 state universities and colleges, 169 police departments, four airports and port authorities all participating in the TFM, according to ICE data as of Feb. 9. Five county commissioner detention facilities and six correctional facilities are participating in the WSO, according to data reviewed by The Center Square. 

Florida law enforcement agencies partnering in 287(g) are “not only reducing the number of individuals who pose risks to Florida’s communities but [are] also setting a precedent for how states can take a proactive role in supplementing federal immigration enforcement,” ICE said. “Florida’s model demonstrates that when states act decisively and coordinate with federal partners, public safety is strengthened and law and order are preserved.”

Taxpayers and voters who want their sheriffs, local and state law enforcement agencies to participate in 287(g) can provide them with an ICE 287g fact sheet, 287g brochure, or participant map, ICE says. They also can also encourage state agencies, university police, airports and others to participate as those in Florida are.

Certified law enforcement partners receive federal funds in different categories, including $7,500 to offset necessary equipment costs for each trained and credentialed task force officer; $100,000 to purchase vehicles and transportation costs for each signed memorandum of agreement; additional allotments for overtime costs up to 25% of an officer’s salary, among others.

Texas sheriffs may also receive funds for applying to participate in 287(g), which is being administered through the comptroller’s office. Funds are allocated through a new state law that now in effect.