海角社区

There has been rapid expansion of state and local participation in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement鈥檚 287(g) program in 2025. ICE鈥檚 287(g) program extends immigration law enforcement authority by delegating it to officers in state and local agencies. The 287(g) program results in more intense immigration enforcement and a higher rate of deportation for unauthorized immigrants in these jurisdictions.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations administers three 287(g) program models. The 鈥淛ail Enforcement Model鈥� is designed to identify and process removeable aliens with criminal charges or pending criminal charges when these individuals are arrested by state or local law enforcement. The 鈥淲arrant Service Officer鈥� program allows ICE to train, certify, and authorize state and local enforcement officers to serve and execute warrants on individuals who are in custody. The 鈥淭ask Force Model鈥� is a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight. ICE covers the cost of training, but salaries, travel, lodging, and other expenses are paid for by the partnering agency.

Donald Trump made immigration a central issue in his 2024 campaign. On his first day back in office, President Trump issued an executive order鈥斺�淧rotecting the American People Against Invasion鈥濃�攖hat charges U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to partner with state and local law enforcement to enforce existing immigration laws, including identifying and apprehending undocumented immigrants.

As of June 3, 2025, 40 states have at least one active 287(g) agreement in place. Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont have no active or pending 287(g) agreements in place. California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington have no agreements because these agreements are prohibited by state law.

State and local law enforcement agencies, largely in conservative districts, are expanding participation in the 287(g) program. In March, Governor Kemp announced an expansion of Georgia鈥檚 partnership with ICE. The Georgia Department of Corrections has participated in the Jail Enforcement Model since 2020. The Georgia Department of Public Safety is now participating in the Task Force Model. Under the Task Force Model, all 1,100 Georgia Department of Public Safety officers are to be trained by ICE on immigration enforcement and will work collaboratively with ICE to enforce immigration law in the field.

Several county-level agencies, including Glynn County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, have active or pending applications with ICE. Glynn County Sheriff鈥檚 Office is participating in the Warrant Service Officer program as of May 13, 2025, according to ICE鈥檚 website. Across the Peach State, there are 29 active agreements and 4 pending agreements.

Georgia鈥檚 participation in ICE鈥檚 287(g) programs had been declining with Cobb and Gwinnett discontinuing their participation in the program several years ago. There were no new agreements signed during the Biden administration.

According to June 3, 2025 data on ICE鈥檚 website, 500 of 635 active agreements to participate in ICE鈥檚 287(g) programs have been approved since January 2025. There are 88 pending agreements.

Americans鈥� attitudes on immigration enforcement are polarized. Enforcing immigration law is a top policy priority for a majority of Republicans, but a low priority for Democrats, according to the Pew Research Center鈥檚 Annual Policy Priorities Survey. Environmental issues are the only policy priorities with a larger divide between Republicans and Democrats.

It鈥檚 a safe bet that opinions on state and local agencies partnering with ICE through 287(g) program are split along party lines. Proponents of the program assert that enforcing immigration law should be a priority, often fueled by concerns about crime among immigrants. Detractors of the program raise concerns that the 287(g) program results in family separations, potential rifts between immigrant communities and law enforcement, and concerns about local tax dollars being squandered to support a federal program.

Roscoe Scarborough, Ph.D. is chair of the Department of Social Sciences and associate professor of sociology at 海角社区. He is an associate scholar at the Reg Murphy Center for Economic and Policy Studies. He can be reached by email at rscarborough@ccga.edu.