At a press conference in March, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, flanked by American flags, had a collection of large checks to give out. The money was part of a pool of $250 million from the state, and one by one, four sheriffs posed with oversized novelty checks.
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The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office got around $100,000; the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office: nearly $1 million; the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office: more than $280,000; and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office: nearly $50,000.
The counties received the money after joining a federal program called 287(g), which gives local police the authority to arrest undocumented immigrants, normally the work of federal immigration officers. And the sheriffs were celebratory: They’re getting a lot of money for cooperating, from both the state and federal government.
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Nationwide, the Department of Homeland Security is promising $100,000 for new vehicles and potentially tens of thousands more in equipment to law enforcement agencies who sign on.
It also says it will reimburse the salaries and benefits of officers in the program – and touts the potential for bonuses based on an officer’s success in finding undocumented people, similar to a bounty hunter system.
A recent report from FWD.us, an organization advocating for criminal justice and immigration reform, estimated that if every police agency receives what DHS promised, the total could amount to as much as $2 billion in 2026 alone.
The 287(g) program has existed for decades. But Naureen Shah, director of government affairs for immigration at the ACLU, says the money is unprecedented.
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Like Florida, Texas began offering its own grants this year. The two states have the most agreements in the country. Both have required all sheriffs operating jails to join 287(g), and together they’ve awarded tens of millions of dollars so far to local departments.
In Florida, state records show local police reported their plans to use the money for equipment like body armor and license plate readers.
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In Texas, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office received more than $340,000 from DHS for new equipment and a Chevy Silverado, according to records the department sent.
Robert Bage, police chief for Fort Walton Beach in the Florida panhandle, says his department received about $150,000 from ICE for a new vehicle and equipment. The state has approved nearly $300,000 for officer bonuses and an AI software platform.
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The post ICE Is Giving Local Police Big Money to Help With Immigration Enforcement appeared first on American Renaissance.
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