287(g) agreement

Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, added in 1996, authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to enter written agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, under which designated officers are trained and given authority to perform specified immigration enforcement tasks under ICE supervision.

There have been three models: the "jail enforcement" model, in which officers identify removable noncitizens in custody; the "warrant service officer" model, in which officers serve ICE administrative warrants on people already held in the jail; and the "task force" model, which let officers question and arrest people on the street, which was ended in 2012 amid concerns about racial profiling and revived in 2025. Participation has varied across administrations, and a growing number of agencies in states such as Florida and Texas have joined, and some states now require it.

Supporters see 287(g) as a way to multiply federal resources and to reach people who commit crimes locally. Critics argue that it can undermine trust between police and immigrant communities, lead to unlawful stops, divert resources and expose local governments to liability; the program was the subject of Justice Department findings against Maricopa County, Arizona, and its former sheriff Joe Arpaio. It is the opposite of sanctuary jurisdiction policies. See also ICE detainer.