Exclusive reporting from independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reveals that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has significantly expanded its use of local law enforcement agencies to carry out federal immigration enforcement — backed by a complex system of financial incentives.
According to internal ICE documents provided by an agency source and a financial ledger obtained by Klippenstein, ICE is allocating millions of dollars to state and local police departments through the long-standing 287(g) program.
The initiative, authorized under a 1996 law, allows federal authorities to deputize local officers to enforce immigration laws.
While the program has existed for decades, the reporting suggests it has grown rapidly in scope and funding, with more than 1,000 agreements nationwide.
The documents indicate that participating agencies receive a range of payments, including salary supplements, reimbursements for transportation, and additional funds tied to enforcement activity.
In some cases, officers become eligible for stipends only after making their first immigration-related arrest, a threshold described internally as becoming "operational."
The largest funding allocations appear concentrated in Republican-led states, particularly Florida, where tens of millions of dollars have been set aside for state agencies with thousands of deputized officers.
Other states receiving substantial funding include Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Smaller departments, including those in towns with populations under 1,000, are also participating, sometimes receiving six-figure sums for a single officer.
The ledger further shows ICE is negotiating new or expanded agreements with more than 400 additional law enforcement agencies.
Several Democrat-leaning states are notably absent from recent funding allocations, reflecting their broader resistance to cooperation with President Donald Trump's federal immigration enforcement.
The findings highlight how the Trump administration has relied on partnerships with local law enforcement to sustain and expand deportation efforts, particularly in jurisdictions willing to collaborate.
By embedding immigration enforcement authority within local police forces, the administration has sought to extend its reach beyond federal agents alone, even as public scrutiny of ICE operations has intensified in the wake of several deaths this year during ICE protests.
The 287(g) program has long been controversial.
Supporters argue it enhances public safety and allows federal authorities to leverage local resources more efficiently.
Critics, however, contend it blurs the line between local policing and federal immigration enforcement, raises civil liberties concerns, drains local resources, and may incentivize aggressive or discriminatory practices.
The reported expansion underscores a broader strategy by the Trump administration to institutionalize immigration enforcement at multiple levels of government, particularly in regions politically aligned with its agenda, ensuring continuity of deportation efforts even amid legal, logistical, and public relations challenges.