In an effort to bolster incentives for local law enforcement officers and sheriffs’ offices nationwide, the Department of Homeland Security’s recent announcement outlines how it will reimburse the cost of local law enforcement salaries and benefits, including up to “25% of overtime coverage” for annual salaries of eligible “deputized” ICE 287(g) officers.
“ICE is not only supercharging our hiring, we are also multiplying partnerships with state and local law enforcement to remove the worst of the worst including murderers, gang members, rapists, terrorists and pedophiles from our country,” the DHS press release said. However, as both the Associated Press and Transactional Records Acess Clearinghouse (TRAC) have reported, over 70 percent of ICE detainees have no criminal records.
Local immigrant and civic advocates said ICE incentive payments, thanks to Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, could run afoul against 287(g) programs – rather than enhance them – because of the way the partnership language is written…