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Texans know firsthand that border security cannot be left to Washington alone. For years, state and local law enforcement officers have shouldered the burden of an unsecured border, often without the resources or backing they need.
That is now beginning to change. Thanks to President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill provisions, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a new reimbursement program that fully funds local partnerships to enforce immigration law.
Under the program, ICE will reimburse state and local agencies for the full salary and benefits of trained 287(g) officers, plus overtime coverage of up to 25%. Agencies that participate will also be eligible for performance-based awards each quarter, depending on how effectively they help ICE locate and detain illegal aliens identified by the agency.
The incentives are straightforward:
- Agencies that locate 90–100% of ICE-identified illegal aliens receive $1,000 per officer.
- Agencies that locate 80–89% receive $750 per officer.
- Agencies that locate 70–79% receive $500 per officer.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained that this initiative is designed to expand cooperation under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows DHS to delegate immigration enforcement authority to trained local officers.
The results have already been dramatic. Since Secretary Kristi Noem took the helm of DHS, 287(g) partnerships have grown by more than 600%, expanding from 135 agreements to 958 nationwide. As of this month, over 8,500 officers in 40 states are trained and deputized to help enforce immigration laws, with thousands more in training.
Participating agencies will also receive federal tools, training, and ongoing support to integrate immigration enforcement into their regular police duties.
There are a couple of keys to making this program as effective as possible. First, there must be an incentive for full, enthusiastic participation from both local law enforcement and ICE. In the past, there have been issues where deputized agencies refused to run immigration checks below a certain criminal threshold, and when ICE has failed to pick up illegal aliens on detainers due to a manpower shortage or other logistical challenges.
This reimbursement program would help to ensure that local officials have a strong incentive to exercise the full extent of their agreements with ICE.
For Texans, this represents an important step forward: local law enforcement will finally have the resources, training, and federal backing to do what Washington has so often refused to do — protect our citizens and enforce the law.