A Republican state representative plans to introduce legislation that would require all Kentucky police agencies to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement through a program that gives local officers limited authority to enforce federal immigration law.
Rep. TJ Roberts of Burlington filed a bill request ahead of the 2026 legislative session, indicating his intent to formally file the measure when lawmakers return in January. Under his proposal, local law enforcement agencies and the Kentucky State Police would be mandated to participate in ICE’s 287(g) task force model program.
Agencies that join the program can enforce “limited immigration authority with ICE oversight” during routine duties. This allows officers to process individuals who have been arrested on state or federal charges for additional immigration violations. Officers participating in the task force program have also pursued federal immigration charges stemming from traffic stops.
Speaking to lawmakers Thursday during a Committee on Local Government meeting, Roberts said the 287(g) program does not grant police the authority to seek out undocumented immigrants solely for the purpose of arrest.
“This is not supporting independent raids. This is if they pull someone over for a DUI — or if they are called for any other type of case — that they are then able, upon reasonable suspicion, to investigate whether or not the individuals involved are here legally,” Roberts said.
ICE previously shut down the task force model in 2012 following reports that some departments were racially profiling Latino drivers and violating civil rights. President Donald Trump reinstated the program earlier this year through an executive order on the first day of his second term.
ICE’s website shows that a dozen Kentucky agencies, mostly in rural areas, already participate in the task force program. Roberts argued that existing partnerships aren’t located “in the areas that we need it at currently.”
He said the state should require participation to strengthen immigration enforcement along major interstates and other areas he described as hotspots for drug trafficking and human smuggling. Roberts said he worked with legislative liaisons from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to craft the bill, calling the effort one of their “top priorities.”
“This is one of those matters to ensure that we are being a good partner with the federal authorities, to ensure that we are enforcing federal law, that we are making sure that our streets are safer,” Roberts said.
Some lawmakers pushed back, citing concerns about community trust and local control.
Democratic Rep. George Brown Jr. of Lexington said he opposed the measure.
“Folks are concerned about ICE and ICE’s relationship to our law enforcement and to our citizens, and it is real important that we do not go into something that removes due process,” Brown said.
Rep. Rachel Roarx, a Democrat from Louisville, expressed concerns about forcing participation on local agencies and diverting resources.
“I think when we talk about law enforcement, we have so much understaffing already. We’re pulling people away from investigating our violent crime, and I think this is an issue that we’re really expending a lot more resources than what the actual problem is,” Roarx said.
Roberts argued the federal government would reimburse agencies for taking part. ICE implemented new incentives in October, including full reimbursement for trained officers’ salaries, benefits, and some overtime. Agencies could also receive performance bonuses based on “the successful location of illegal aliens provided by ICE,” along with other support.
Republican Rep. Patrick Flannery of Olive Hill, co-chair of the committee, said the program could provide financial relief to local departments.
“This is not an unfunded mandate. This is an opportunity to potentially utilize resources from the federal government to implement those into our local communities that we serve,” Flannery said. “City police departments [and] sheriffs’ departments can definitely use these resources.”
ACLU of Kentucky Executive Director Amber Duke said her organization “strongly opposes” the proposal.
“This is another bad attempt to copy and paste a failed idea used in other states into Kentucky law. This attack on local control will undermine public safety, erode constitutional rights, strain law enforcement resources, and damage community trust across Kentucky,” Duke said.
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