Overview

• President-elect Donald Trump intends to expand the 287(g) program, allowing local sheriffs to act as immigration agents, including questioning and detaining suspected undocumented immigrants during routine duties.
• The plan involves reviving the discontinued task force model, enabling officers to make immigration stops and arrests, which was phased out in 2012 due to controversy.
• Supporters argue the expansion will strengthen deportation efforts and deter illegal immigration, while critics warn it could lead to racial profiling and erode trust in law enforcement.
• Many conservative sheriffs have expressed strong support for the initiative, aligning with Trump’s agenda, though some jurisdictions, particularly in sanctuary cities, oppose collaboration with ICE.
• Trump’s team is also considering financial incentives for jurisdictions that cooperate and withholding federal funds from those that resist, intensifying the political divide over immigration policy.