Immigration arrests and detentions are rising sharply across the United States, including in Kentucky, as more local law enforcement agencies partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through 287(g) agreements — programs that provide financial incentives for helping identify and detain undocumented immigrants.
Currently, 22 Kentucky law enforcement agencies participate in 287(g) programs. Two bills filed in the General Assembly — House Bill 47 and Senate Bill 86 — would make that cooperation mandatory statewide.
There are three types of 287(g) agreements. The jail enforcement model allows officers to identify people in custody who may be subject to immigration enforcement. The warrant service officer model permits officers to serve ICE warrants in local jails. The most expansive option, the task force model, allows officers to make immigration arrests during routine policing.
The task force model was discontinued in 2012 after civil rights concerns were raised but has since returned.
“Since the inauguration, the task force model has been brought back,” said Ashley Spalding, a researcher with the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. “So the most aggressive model is the most common 287(g) agreement right now, including in Kentucky.”
Spalding co-authored a January report examining how 287(g) agreements create financial incentives that encourage local immigration enforcement. Nationwide, the number of agreements surged from 135 on inauguration day in 2025 to more than 1,300 by January 2026. In Kentucky alone, eight new agreements have been signed in recent months.
“They’ve really been ramping up,” Spalding said. “The participation of state and local law enforcement agencies is a key part of the administration’s mass deportation agenda. Kentucky communities are being directly impacted by this.”
While at least six states have enacted laws limiting or prohibiting participation in 287(g) programs, the two Kentucky bills would move in the opposite direction.
House Bill 47 would require all Kentucky State Police posts to enter task force model agreements with ICE. Officers participating in the program would be required to complete 40 hours of ICE training, which would count toward annual in-service training requirements. The bill has 18 co-sponsors and is assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.
Senate Bill 86 would go further, mandating that both Kentucky State Police and all local law enforcement agencies participate in all three types of 287(g) agreements. The bill has 10 sponsors and is awaiting committee assignment.
The primary sponsors, Sen. Phillip Wheeler and Rep. T.J. Roberts, did not respond to requests for comment.
Federal funding for immigration enforcement expanded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last summer. Under the law, the federal government reimburses agencies for the full salary and benefits of officers trained through 287(g). Agencies can also receive quarterly performance bonuses ranging from $500 to $1,000 per officer, depending on how many individuals identified by ICE are located.
The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly said its enforcement efforts focus on “the worst of the worst,” a phrase used by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and ICE Director Todd Lyons.
However, data suggests otherwise. Analysis from the Deportation Data Project shows roughly one-third of people arrested by ICE had no criminal conviction or pending charges. The share of arrests involving people with no criminal record doubled during the second Trump administration, rising from 21.9% in its first three months to 40.5% in the three months ending in mid-October 2025.
“The majority of people who are arrested and detained by ICE don’t have any criminal record,” Spalding said. “And for those who do, it may be something very minor. Many of the claims made about immigrant communities simply aren’t supported by the data.”
Under federal law, being an undocumented immigrant is a civil violation, not a criminal offense.
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