Palm Beach County leads South Florida in local police agencies with ICE agreements

"In February, the Task Force Model was the least commonly used of the three, and only seven states had that type of agreement, ICE's data shows. As of Nov. 20, a total of 620 police agencies across 34 states have signed into a Task Force Model agreement. More than 300 of the agreements are in Florida alone, ICE's list shows, and about 3,100 people in Florida have been arrested under the 287(g) program, according to a database maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement."

"Under the 287(g) program, ICE operates three different models that give local law enforcement the ability to act in some capacity as immigration officers: the Jail Enforcement Model and the Warrant Service Officer model, both of which are used in jails, and the Task Force Model, the "force multiplier" arm of the program that has grown exponentially since Trump took office."

"The widespread signing of 287(g) Task Force Model agreements means that dozens of officers and deputies in South Florida and hundreds across the state are authorized to carry out some immigration duties in the course of their everyday routine police work, including executing arrest warrants for immigration violations and questioning people about their immigration status. In February, the Task Force Model was the least commonly used of the three, and only seven states had that type of agreement, ICE's data shows."

Federal revival of the 287(g) program under the Trump administration led to rapid growth of local-ICE partnerships across Florida. Palm Beach County now leads South Florida in the number of Task Force agreements, and nearly all small departments there signed Task Force Model pacts; Delray Beach Police was the lone major holdout until Nov. 4. The 287(g) program includes Jail Enforcement, Warrant Service Officer, and Task Force models. The Task Force Model authorizes patrol officers and deputies to perform immigration duties during routine policing, execute immigration-related arrest warrants, and question individuals about their immigration status. Over 300 Task Force agreements are in Florida, and state records show roughly 3,100 arrests under 287(g).

Read at Sun Sentinel