As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, the number of agreements between Homeland Security and local law enforcement are on the rise — including in Arizona.
The 287g agreements are generally made between ICE and local law enforcement — like sheriff’s offices. And it allows local entities to take part in immigration enforcement, either in jails or while serving warrants.
A bill crafted by GOP state lawmakers that would have forced local Arizona jurisdictions to be more involved in federal immigration enforcement. It was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier this year.
Still, ICE’s website shows eight law enforcement agencies in Arizona have agreements. Navajo and Yuma counties are the most recent additions, with Yuma joining just this month.
“The 287g agreements are going to allow a vast expansion of personnel that are available to ICE or to DHS writ large to conduct immigration enforcement,” said Syracuse University law professor William Banks, who specializes in military affairs.
The Trump administration is asking states to provide some 21,000 National Guard troops to assist the DHS at the border and within the U.S. Those troops would be doing various deportation and detention tasks, according to reporting by NPR.
Banks says if such troops are provided, it would also be in the form of a 287g agreement. But, rather than with individual counties or city police departments, it would be with the state.
Yuma and Navajo counties did not respond to questions about the details of their new agreements.
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It’s been more than a week since U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped allowing immigrants to automatically renew their work authorization, a change that could leave thousands in Arizona without the documents they need to work. Experts say the change will also impact immigrant children who are in the US seeking asylum. -
The Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix says the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is working with the immigration and customs enforcement. It recently published this information via social media to the Mexican community. -
The federal magistrate judge on the case had granted the Department of Homeland Security to pause the challenge by the Center for Biological Security, citing the government shutdown. -
The Trump administration cut most of the federal funding for a program providing free legal counsel to unaccompanied immigrant children who are seeking asylum in the U.S. The money was restored under court order, but attorneys say the lapse sent organizations into a tailspin that’s still playing out today. -
The rule — proposed this week — would require immigrants to submit biographic data like fingerprints and DNA when applying for a range of immigration benefits with Citizenship and Immigration Services.
