ICE Funnels Billions to Local Police to Ramp Up Immigration Crackdowns

At a recent press event in Florida, officials proudly handed out oversized checks totaling millions to local sheriffs who signed on to the federal 287(g) program, which deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws—normally a federal responsibility. The Florida sheriffs’ offices of Okaloosa, Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Franklin counties received anywhere from $50,000 to nearly $1 million for their cooperation.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is sweetening the deal nationwide with promises of $100,000 for new vehicles, reimbursement for officers’ salaries, and even bonuses tied to the number of undocumented immigrants arrested. A report from immigration reform group FWD.us estimates this could balloon to $2 billion in federal funding to local law enforcement in 2026 alone.

Naureen Shah of the ACLU calls this a “financial incentive scheme” that Congress never intended, warning that cash-strapped police departments may be lured into aggressive immigration enforcement without proper oversight. The Trump administration already “supercharged” the 287(g) program, growing it from 135 partnerships to over 1,700, and current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin signals plans to expand this collaboration further despite public backlash against violent enforcement tactics.

Texas and Florida, states with the most 287(g) agreements, have also created their own grant programs funneling tens of millions to local agencies. These funds are reportedly used for body armor, license plate readers, AI translation software, and other equipment that bolster immigration policing.

Law enforcement officials interviewed admit they rely on these federal and state funds to sustain their participation, with some calling it “fiscally responsible” to leverage federal money rather than local taxes. But transparency is scarce. DHS declined to detail the total funding awarded, and many departments refused to comment or redirected inquiries back to ICE.

Felicity Rose from FWD.us warns that this massive financial influx dwarfs traditional federal policing grants like COPS and JAG-Byrne funds, raising serious concerns about accountability. Taxpayers deserve to know exactly where their money is going—and the human cost of turning local police into immigration enforcers.

This aggressive funding strategy is part of a broader Trump-era pattern of expanding immigration enforcement through local law enforcement partnerships, often at the expense of immigrant communities’ civil rights and public safety trust. As the federal government pours billions into this effort, the question remains: who really benefits—and who pays the price?