A long-abandoned program that allows local and state law enforcement to question individuals on the street about their immigration status and even arrest them for deportation has been reintroduced by the government as the Trump administration pushes for more deportations.
State and local agencies in Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas have already joined the task force program this week. The program was discontinued in 2012 when racial profiling and other abuses were found, resulting in lawsuits costing tens of millions of dollars. An agreement will soon be signed with the New Hampshire State Police.
Between February 17 and February 19, 11 new agreements with agencies in five states were announced on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement webpage regarding the contentious program. The initiative, which ICE refers to as its task force model, enables local law enforcement officials to question individuals about their immigration status while performing their regular police duties.
Here is the most recent information on how states are assisting Trump’s deportation initiatives.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, three Oklahoma state agencies (the Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Narcotics), the Texas attorney general’s office, sheriffs in Douglas County, Nevada, and the Texas counties of Goliad and Smith, the Florida State Highway Patrol, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office were all shown agreements.
Following a 2011 Department of Justice investigation that revealed pervasive racial profiling and other forms of prejudice against Latinos in an Arizona task force, the task force agreements with ICE were terminated in 2012 during the Obama administration.
Furthermore, the new task force agreements are distinct from other so-called 287(g) cooperation agreements, which permit local police departments or sheriffs to assist in the investigation of individuals who have already been detained and booked into local jails.
In the task force paradigm, it is further described as a force multiplier by ICE. In the course of their daily work, local cops are trained and supervised by the federal agency to make arrests for immigration infractions.
According to the website, on February 17, Florida became the first state to sign a task force agreement for its state police agency during the Trump administration. More deals were revealed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.February 19. Other state organizations will take part in the immigration status challenge: According to DeSantis, an agreement has already been signed by the Florida Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, which inspects produce coming into and going out of the state.
ICE arrests are unabated by sanctuary policies.
The Department of Law Enforcement, which assists local police in investigating crimes and protects the state capitol; the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which patrols forests and waterways; and the State Guard, a volunteer military-style response agency that DeSantis reactivated in 2022, will follow with task force agreements, he said.
At a news conference earlier this month, DeSantis stated that our state law enforcement officers will finally be able to work together not only through ICE arrests at local jails but also through the new agreements that grant expanded power and authority to question any suspected alien or person believed to be an alien as of their right to be in the United States.
In other news, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which assists local law enforcement in its investigations, announced the deal on February 17. “The new powers will be another tool to get known criminal offenders out of our community,” Director Tony Mattivi said in a news release, adding that his agents will target organized drug trafficking, violent crimes, and crimes against children.
The agreement was struck on February 18 and publicized by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt on February 21. The task group will concentrate on those who pose a threat to public safety, according to a statement from Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton.
The task force interrogations are dangerous, according to Florida’s immigrant advocates, for both immigrants and communities that choose to participate in the program, like the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
The country’s population is growing due to immigration.
According to Thomas Kennedy, a policy consultant for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, which advocates for 83 immigrant advocacy groups in the state, they will stop someone for a regular traffic infraction or loitering and inquire about their immigration status.
That is detrimental to civil rights, our community, the public’s trust in law enforcement, and crime reporting. However, Kennedy added, it also puts police forces and municipalities at risk of legal action.
Before ICE ended its task force relationship with Maricopa County in 2009, the county in Arizona had to pay $43 million in litigation expenses from lawsuits. It is anticipated that the consequences of a 2013 federal court ruling on racial profiling will increase public expenses to $314 million this year.
At a February meeting in Washington, D.C., Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, urged sheriffs to join the 287(g) task force program in order to assist us on the street.
Homan informed the sheriffs that he is trying to reduce the cost of their involvement by reducing the deputies’ four-week training time to roughly one week and minimizing the price of legal liabilities through what he called full-scale indemnity. He remarked, to the cheers of sheriffs in the audience, “If you get sued, the department [of Homeland Security] will help you out and defend you.”
The number of immigration arrests and deportations that could arise from the resurrected task forces is difficult to predict. Most of the time, local cops who have been trained for task force agreements are occupied with other patrol duties. Task forces produced far fewer arrests than automated fingerprint scanning in local jails, according to a 2011 research by the Migration Policy Institute based on data from 2010, when there were 37 task force agreements in 18 states.
As was the case in Prince William County, Virginia, in 2007, when police initially checked the immigration status of anyone they arrested on the street, the task force agreements have the potential to cause controversy in the community. The report claims that the immigrant community experienced widespread anxiety and panic as a result of that policy.
According to the article, the county responded by changing its policy to only look into immigration status after an arrest and booking at the local jail.
Homan stated at the conference that some people might be deported for immigration offenses alone, even though several state leaders stated they intended to concentrate on dangerous criminals who are also illegally in the country.
Homan informed sheriffs, “We promised a mass deportation, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Oh my God, people are saying, “You said you were going to focus only on criminals.” Yes, it will be our top priority, but if you are not legally in this country, you have a problem. You’re still in the running.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.