The 287(g) program allows local law enforcement agencies to contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to act as ICE agents.

287(g) Erodes public trust and impedes law enforcement

Since its inception, the 287(g) program has drawn sharp criticism from federal officials, law enforcement, and local community groups. The program has resulted in the widespread use of pretextual traffic stops, racially motivated questioning, and unconstitutional searches and seizures primarily in communities of color. The Police Foundation, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association have expressed concerns that deputizing local law enforcement officers to enforce civil federal immigration law undermines their core public safety mission, diverts scarce resources, increases their exposure to liability and litigation, and exacerbates fear in communities.

The 287(g) program has worked counter to community policing goals by eroding the trust and cooperation of immigrant communities and diverted already scarce law enforcement resources. In Harris County, seven of every eight residents screened by the 287(g) program have had misdemeanor charges only in the program’s first year of operation. With the Harris County Jail under federal investigation, now is not the time to be expending resources on a program that increases distrust between the Sheriff’s office and the immigrant community.

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