287(g) Partnerships Surge to 1,100+ in Trump's Second Term

In the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, agreements allowing local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on immigration matters have surged, reaching more than 1,100 partnerships nationwide, according to an analysis by FWD.us, a nonpartisan policy organization focused on immigration and criminal justice issues.

The expansion revives and broadens the 287(g) program under the 1996 Immigration and Nationality Act, which deputizes state and local officers to identify, question, and detain individuals suspected of being in the country without legal authorization during routine patrols. As of late January 2026, 1,168 agencies had officers trained under the program, up from 135 during the Biden administration and 150 at the end of Trump's first term. By mid-February, the number climbed to 1,415 memoranda of understanding across 40 states, with nearly 150 new agencies joining in the early weeks of 2026 alone.

The rapid growth stems from federal incentives introduced after Trump took office in January 2025. The administration restarted the program's task force model, which had been discontinued in 2012 amid allegations of...