Deputized Officers Double to 29,000 in Eight Months

The number of state and local police officers deputized for immigration enforcement has doubled in eight months, reaching more than 29,000. A new report from FWD.us reveals that this figure far exceeds the 11,600 deportation officers directly employed by the federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The data indicates a rapid shift in how immigration law is enforced at the local level.

The surge began after the 287(g) program, created in the 1990s, saw limited use until the current administration revived it. Felicity Rose, vice president of research and policy at FWD.us, describes these local officers as a key lever for a quieter enforcement strategy. Rose told NPR that the administration is moving away from large urban operations toward routine highway stops under the new agreements.

The most aggressive form of the partnership, the Task Force Model, grants local agencies the power to make immigration arrests. In exchange for active participation, these agencies receive funding for vehicles, equipment, and other resources. The Department of Homeland Security calls the program a critical tool for reducing crime and illegal immigration.

Florida and Texas account for roughly half of the 47,000 immigration arrests made through 287(g) between January 2025 and August 2026. Governors in both states have mandated that local police sign these agreements. However, states not traditionally known for aggressive enforcement are also seeing spikes. In Wyoming, deputized officers made 77% of all immigration arrests in April 2026 and more than 60% every month since November 2025.

New Hampshire saw the program responsible for 60% of immigration arrests in June 2026. In Oklahoma, close to 50% of arrests in that month were made by state or local police. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol signed all its troopers into the program, giving them authority to stop drivers and potentially arrest them on state highways.

Gabriela Ramirez Perez, an analyst with the Oklahoma Policy Institute, says this has changed daily routines for immigrant communities. She notes that people are avoiding highways and driving less to reduce the risk of contact with law enforcement. The Justice Department offered $3 billion in funding this summer to agencies that join the program, a move Rose believes is driving the increase in participation.

Florida has already provided hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funds to its law enforcement agencies for their role in the program. The financial incentives appear to be a primary factor in the expansion of these partnerships across the country.