No tri-county agencies have yet signed on
In November 2025, the 287(g) program, which has become a mechanism for delegating immigration control powers to local law enforcement agencies, is experiencing unprecedented growth in Texas.
Under the program, local law enforcement officers can identify and process individuals with pending or active criminal charges who are subject to removal as undocumented individuals. The program, based on the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), also allows delegating and training local officers to identify illegal migrants. It effectively turns local officials into ICE agents, creating a “force multiplier,” meaning that it expands the personnel and reach of ICE.
Under the program, there are three different models: the Jail Enforcement Model (enforcing immigration law for those detained locally), the Task Force Model (a more aggressive approach enforcing law in the field) and Warrant Service Officer program (a more limited approach that allows local law enforcement to serve ICE administrative warrants).
The latest ICE reports confirm significant expansion, including 22 law enforcement agencies in East Texas, covering key rural counties along trafficking corridors. The sheriff’s office in Presidio, Brewster and Jeff Davis counties have not signed on to the program, at least yet. Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez said he still needs to look into the program more thoroughly. Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson said he plans to implement the jail enforcement provisions. Jeff Davis County Sheriff Victor Lopez did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
All this is a direct consequence of Trump’s January 20 executive order, which maximally expanded 287(g) “to protect against invasion” and Texas’ SB 8, requiring sheriff departments with populations over 100,000 to cooperate with ICE, which overall changes the rhetoric of local sheriff appointments, turning them into a force multiplier for federal enforcement. According to the DHS analysis, growth of agreements in such counties has really increased up to 25%.
In 2025, Texas became the leader in Department of Homeland Security memoranda in cooperation. From September 17, the number of cooperating agencies nationwide grew by over 620%, from 135 to more than 1,000, of which approximately 75 are in Texas.
Unlike the Jail Enforcement Model dominant in urban counties, the 22 East Texas agencies operate almost exclusively under the Task Force Model, meaning immigration checks happen during street patrols and traffic stops rather than inside jails. Sheriffs in these counties now run immigration status checks on felony and Class B misdemeanor stops along highways like I-20, U.S. 59, and U.S. 69. Local defense attorneys report that Task Force arrests in the region stem from traffic violations with no additional criminal charges. According to KTRE, these 22 counties alone cover key trafficking routes, where Task Force patrols now produce regular immigration arrests. All this is also motivated by an increased salary rate for officers, as well as quarterly bonuses for successful deportation.
The effectiveness as a force multiplier in counties has grown, and arrests of “criminal illegals”— as the Trump administration calls them—has risen by about 30%. Federal funding has also reduced the burden on local budgets, and the DHS memorandum lifted restrictions on enforcement in sensitive zones. However, the downsides are critical. The ACLU records numerous complaints of racial profiling.
By December, Texas will top a hundred 287(g) agreements. The ACLU’s already in court with two suits and two more coming, all pointing to racial profiling in traffic stops. If nothing changes, the 287(g) strategy could face a significant roadblock as lawsuits pile up and budgets break.
Artem Kolisnichenko is a journalist and analyst specializing in immigration policy and judicial decisions, covering the American South and Southwest. Rob D’Amico contributed to reporting.