Thursday, 01 May 2025

100 Days: 450 Policing Agencies Partner with Trump on Detentions


100 Days: 450 Policing Agencies Partner with Trump on Detentions
A Texas state trooper and a U.S. Border Patrol agent detain undocumented immigrants on OctJohn Moore/Getty Images

There has been a huge rise in the number of local law enforcement agencies joining with the administration on immigration enforcement in the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency.

The federal 287(g) program has often been an afterthought in the fight against illegal immigration in past presidential eras, but as the Trump era continues to gear up, the federal government has made a major effort to enhance this program for the help locals can lend to immigration policies.

For example, as the Obama administration was winding down in 2015, there were only 34 local law enforcement agencies signed on through the 287(g) program, CNN reported.

But as of the end of April, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed program agreements with more than 450 local agencies, most being county sheriff’s departments.

The program does not contract solely with police departments. Other local and state-wide agencies also can participate, including jails and prisons, wildlife and conservation departments, and other departments that can have contact with the criminal element.

As an example, Florida, which has the highest level of involvement with the 287(g) program, has multiple departments signed on, including the Florida State Guard, the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along with many local police departments and nearly every county sheriff’s department.

The program formed a major aspect of the recent sweep that saw the arrests of more than 800 illegal aliens in Florida last week.

ICE teamed up with the Florida state police to round up nearly 800 illegal aliens during a four-day operation last week. The round-up came as part of a multi-agency immigration enforcement crackdown dubbed Operation Tidal Wave.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted a comment on social media on Saturday, saying, “Florida is leading the nation in active cooperation with the Trump administration for immigration enforcement and deportation operations.”

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, X at WTHuston, or Truth Social at @WarnerToddHuston.


Source link