TL;DR: The 287(g) program (which deputizes local police as immigration agents) has exploded. ACLU reporting from February 2026 puts at least 77.2 million Americans in a county with a 287(g) agreement. NPR reported on May 5, 2026 that ICE is on track to spend up to $2 billion in 2026 reimbursing local police through the program. The street-level enforcement model means local cops can check immigration status during routine traffic stops and make immigration arrests. New Mexico, Maine, and Maryland have all enacted 287(g) bans in 2025-2026. Your local police department may now be part of ICE's enforcement apparatus. A traffic violation can become a deportation.
What changed (July 4, 2026): ACLU data from February 26, 2026 puts at least 77.2 million Americans (about 32% of the country) in a county covered by a 287(g) agreement. NPR reported on May 5, 2026 that ICE is on track to spend up to $2 billion in 2026 reimbursing local police through the program. New Mexico, Maine, and Maryland have all enacted 287(g) bans in 2025-2026.
The Numbers
77.2M Americans
People in counties with 287(g) agreements, per ACLU analysis (February 26, 2026)[1]
10,000+ Officers
Law enforcement officers trained or being trained under the street-level 287(g) model (DHS, September 2025)[1]
$2B Reimbursement
ICE 2026 spending on reimbursing local police through 287(g), per NPR/GPB (May 5, 2026)[4]
Three-State Backlash
New Mexico, Maine, and Maryland enacted 287(g) bans in 2025-2026[1]
What Is 287(g)?
Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows ICE to delegate immigration enforcement authority to state and local law enforcement. There are two models:
Jail Model (Less Aggressive)
Officers check immigration status for people already arrested and in custody. This has existed for years.
Street-Level Enforcement Model (Revived and Expanding)
This is the dangerous expansion. Under the revived street-level 287(g) model:
- Local police can question anyone about immigration status during routine duties
- Traffic stops become immigration checkpoints
- Officers can make immigration arrests
- No crime required, just suspected immigration violation
The street-level model was largely discontinued under the Obama administration due to racial profiling concerns. It is now back, with more than 10,000 officers trained or in training under the program as of September 2025.[1]
Following the Money
The NPR and Georgia Public Broadcasting investigation on May 5, 2026 calculated ICE is on track to spend up to $2 billion in 2026 reimbursing local police, with the money going to vehicles, fingerprint scanners, real-time Spanish-translation AirPods, and per-arrest bonuses.[4] The ACLU's Naureen Shah told NPR that "Congress never intended for ICE to be swooping in to these local jurisdictions and offering them money in exchange to participate."[4]
Per-arrest bonuses are the structural problem: police departments get paid for finding people ICE wants. That creates direct financial incentives for local cops to prioritize immigration enforcement over community policing.
States Forcing Participation
Texas
Texas has been an early mover on statewide 287(g) expansion. The Texas Attorney General's office signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE in January 2025, granting statewide immigration enforcement authority to a state AG for the first time.[1]
Florida
Florida legislation mandates any law enforcement agency operating a detention facility must enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE.[2]
What This Means for Communities
When local police become immigration enforcement:
- Traffic stops become dangerous: Broken taillight can lead to deportation
- Crime reporting drops: Immigrants fear contacting police about crimes
- Racial profiling increases: "Looking illegal" becomes probable cause
- Community trust evaporates: Police become occupying force, not protectors
- Family separation: Parents picked up at school drop-offs, work, traffic stops
Studies consistently show that 287(g) participation correlates with increased racial profiling and decreased crime reporting in immigrant communities. Justice Department audits of 287(g) departments have flagged racial-profiling findings.[4]
States Fighting Back
Not every state is joining:
- New Mexico, Maine, and Maryland: all enacted bans on 287(g) agreements during 2025 and 2026[1]
- Illinois and Washington: have been pursuing bans in this session[4]
- California: State sanctuary laws limit local cooperation with ICE
The divide is geographic and political. Red states are mandating 287(g) participation. Blue states are trying to ban it. Your zip code determines whether local police are ICE partners.
Update (July 4, 2026): How Big This Got
The ACLU's February 26, 2026 analysis put at least 77.2 million Americans, around 32% of the U.S. population, in a county whose local law enforcement agency holds a 287(g) agreement.[1] DHS said it had trained or was training more than 10,000 officers under the program's street-level enforcement model as of September 2025.[1]
The financial picture keeps ratcheting up. An NPR and Georgia Public Broadcasting investigation on May 5, 2026 calculated ICE is on track to spend up to $2 billion in 2026 reimbursing local police, with the money going to vehicles, fingerprint scanners, real-time Spanish-translation AirPods, and per-arrest bonuses.[4] The ACLU's Naureen Shah told NPR that "Congress never intended for ICE to be swooping in to these local jurisdictions and offering them money in exchange to participate."[4] The Justice Department's own past audits have flagged 287(g) departments for racial profiling.[4]
Resistance is hardening too. The ACLU documents that New Mexico, Maine, and Maryland all enacted bans on 287(g) agreements during 2025 and 2026, joining six other states with existing prohibitions.[1] Illinois and Washington have been pursuing bans in this session.[4] And while sheriffs sign up, non-police agencies have started signing on too: Louisiana's State Fire Marshal, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, and Florida's Department of Environmental Protection are all in the program now.[1]
What You Can Do
Check Your County
ICE publishes 287(g) agreements. Does your sheriff have one? Find out before a traffic stop.
Know Your Rights
You don't have to answer questions about citizenship or immigration status. You can remain silent. Read our guide.
Push for Local Policy
Cities can adopt sanctuary policies even in 287(g) states. Local pressure matters.
Document Encounters
If stopped by local police asking immigration questions, document everything. This creates evidence for legal challenges.
The Bigger Picture
287(g) turns local police into ICE's distributed workforce. Instead of 6,000 ICE agents, enforcement now includes:
- 1,000+ agreements × average squad size = Tens of thousands of deputized officers
- County jails become ICE processing centers
- Traffic enforcement becomes immigration enforcement
- School resource officers could theoretically check status
The surveillance technology we cover (Flock Safety cameras, facial recognition, Webloc phone tracking) becomes more dangerous when every local cop can use it for immigration enforcement.
287(g) isn't just a program. It's the infrastructure for turning America's 700,000+ law enforcement officers into an immigration dragnet.
References
- Texas Immigrant Law Center - Attorney General 287(g) Agreement (January 2025) (link removed 2026-07-06: URL returned HTTP 404)
- American Immigration Council - 287(g) Expansion Analysis (2025)
- ACLU - ICE Is Expanding 287(g) Agreements With Police (February 26, 2026)
- NPR - ICE is paying incentives to local police to help reach Trump's deportation goals (May 5, 2026)