ICE and Local Law Enforcement Partnerships

NPR reports that the Department of Homeland Security under newly confirmed Secretary Markwayne Mullin is moving away from large, highly visible ICE raids like the recent deadly Minnesota operation and toward a quieter model that leans heavily on local police through the 287(g) program. Mullin told senators he wants ICE to function more as a transport service that picks up jailed immigrants from local agencies, while a DHS spokesperson said ICE has "supercharged" efforts with state and local law enforcement to "make America safe again." The article documents how 287(g) agreements have exploded from 45 in 2019 to more than 1,600 across 39 states, with the revived Task Force Model now allowing over 13,000 deputized officers to enforce immigration law during routine policing such as traffic stops. Advocacy groups like the ACLU and FWD.us warn that about one‑third of the U.S. population now lives in counties where local cops are acting as ICE extensions, raising concerns about racial profiling, chilled crime reporting, and the outsourcing of controversial federal enforcement to sheriffs and troopers who often face far less scrutiny than federal agents. The shift comes after a February NPR/PBS/Marist poll found roughly two‑thirds of Americans believed ICE "went too far" in Minnesota, signaling that the administration appears to be responding not by scaling back enforcement, but by driving it deeper into ordinary local policing where cameras and protests are less likely.