Some police believe it makes law enforcement more effective. But one critic says “you’re paying to get your neighbor deported”
ANNAPOLIS–Eight counties in Maryland are working directly with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in formal agreements to identify and detain undocumented immigrants in local jails.
It’s happening under a decades-old law that lets the federal government formally delegate some parts of its immigration power to local law enforcement. Commonly called the “287g” program — the subsection of the law where it’s located — it allows specially trained correctional officers to perform certain parts of ICE’s job.
Local police in Maryland are not participating in the more aggressive task-force partnership that deputizes local officers to go out in search of undocumented people. Instead, they’re trained either to interrogate or serve warrants to people already in custody for other reasons.
Supporters argue these partnerships enhance public safety.
“I believe that we’re a safer county because of it. It’s been very effective in getting criminals off of our street, not releasing them back onto the street, but turning them directly over to ICE,” Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins told Capital News Service. Frederick County has operated under the 287(g) agreement for 17 years, the longest standing relationship between ICE and local law enforcement in U.S. history.
But critics believe these arrangements strain community trust and expand the reach of federal immigration enforcement into everyday policing.
“Under programs like 287(g), local jurisdictions … are able to collaborate with ICE to do ICE’s job for them on Maryland taxpayer dollars,” said Ninfa Amador-Hernandez, CASA’s Maryland policy manager. “Programs like 287(g) instill fear and distrust in our local communities.”
CASA, the nation’s leading immigrant rights and services organization, strongly opposes the mobilization of ICE officials in Maryland.
“This is impacting you because your local taxpayer dollars are being used to fund these local detention centers and these local law enforcement offices who are carrying out ICE’s jobs for them,” Amador-Hernandez said. “So you’re paying to get your neighbor deported.”
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Sheriff Jenkins argues that only a small fraction of their yearly budget goes towards funding the program.
One third of Maryland’s counties maintain active agreements with ICE through the 287(g) program, but that doesn’t mean remaining counties and ICE aren’t cooperating in other ways. Local police have long worked with federal authorities to make sure they don’t release someone who is wanted in another jurisdiction, no matter what the warrant may be for.
Read on to learn more about 287(g) in Maryland and around the country.
How the ICE agreements started
Federal law allows ICE to delegate immigration enforcement functions to local law enforcement agencies, allowing trained correctional officers to carry out federal immigration laws—often resulting in the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
The 287(g) amendment states that trained correctional officers qualified to perform a function of an immigration officer in the investigation, apprehension or detention of undocumented immigrants may do so.
Many state and local law enforcement agencies partner with ICE to carry out their duties on a local scale. Nationally, there are more than 1,000 287(g) participating agencies covering 40 states, according to ICE records.
Eight counties in Maryland have standing agreements with ICE including Allegheny, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, St. Mary’s and Washington Counties.
Wicomico County, Md. is in the process of joining the agreement, pending county council approval.
How it works day-to-day
Joining the 287(g) program is a voluntary agreement between local jurisdictions and ICE. First, local agencies complete an application to join the agreement. Then, after their approval, officers go through training.
There are three models under the broader umbrella of the agreement between local and federal agencies, but the essential mission remains the same: undocumented immigrants that are convicted of crimes can be questioned and subsequently detained and deported.
Once a detainee’s immigration status is confirmed, Sheriff Jenkins said local correctional officials have no additional say in the matter.
“We’re simply a mechanism,” Jenkins said of trained local ICE officials.
How ICE trains police officers
Each county participating in the 287(g) program designates law enforcement officers to receive specialized training from ICE officials. In order to be deputized under the agreement, correctional officers must complete a four-week training program that includes immigration law, the use of ICE databases and safeguards against racial profiling.
In Washington, Carroll and Frederick Counties, there are a combined 40 ICE-deputized officers, according to their respective sheriff’s departments.
“This 287(g) program gives [law enforcement officers] a shortcut to become an ICE agent,” Amador-Hernandez said. “That is just absolutely not acceptable.”
How local police help ICE enforce immigration law
There are three ways that police departments can enforce immigration law under this agreement.
- Jail Enforcement Model. Correctional officers are trained to interrogate anyone taken into custody about their immigration status and check their records against federal databases. If the individual is in the U.S. without legal status, the officer can notify ICE and hold the detainee for 48 hours until they are collected for detention or deportation.
- Warrant Service Officer Model. Under this model, trained correctional officers are permitted to carry out the arrest functions of an immigration officer on anybody already in custody, but they are not authorized to question individuals regarding their immigration status.
- Task Force Model. This is the most aggressive protocol—and no police departments in Maryland are currently authorized to use this model. It would allow local police officers partnered with ICE to question and detain people they encounter during routine policing. This street-level immigration enforcement happens out in the community at traffic stops and other frequently patrolled areas. The TFM was officially discontinued in 2012 by the Obama administration but was revived in 2025 by the second Trump administration, said the American Immigration Council.