Local Police Agencies Join ICE's 287(g) Program

Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office and Mahanoy City Police to Deputize Officers for Immigration Enforcement

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Two local law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, the Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office and the Mahanoy City Borough Police Department, have recently signed agreements to participate in ICE's 287(g) program. This will allow their officers to be trained and deputized to interrogate, arrest, and detain individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants.

Why it matters

The expansion of the 287(g) program has raised concerns from civil rights groups like the ACLU, who argue it can lead to racial profiling, unlawful arrests, and make immigrant communities feel less safe. There are also questions about whether local law enforcement has the proper training and oversight to carry out federal immigration duties.

The details

Under the 'Task Force Model' agreements, the Schuylkill County and Mahanoy City officers will be able to interrogate anyone they believe is an undocumented immigrant, arrest people for suspected immigration violations, and transport detainees to ICE facilities. The agreements were signed on January 26 and February 10 respectively. As of February 18, over 1,400 such 287(g) agreements had been signed nationwide, with over 1,130 of them under the Trump administration.

  • The Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office signed the 287(g) agreement on January 26, 2026.
  • The Mahanoy City Borough Police Department signed the 287(g) agreement on February 10, 2026.

The players

Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office

A local law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania that has signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE to allow its officers to perform certain immigration enforcement duties.

Mahanoy City Borough Police Department

A local law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania that has signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE to allow its officers to perform certain immigration enforcement duties.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

The federal agency that oversees ICE and confirmed the 287(g) agreements with the Schuylkill County and Mahanoy City law enforcement agencies.

Vanessa Stine

Senior Staff Attorney for Immigrants' Rights at the ACLU of Pennsylvania, who expressed concerns about the 287(g) program leading to rights violations and racial profiling.

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What they’re saying

“Partnerships with law enforcement are critical to having the resources we need to arrest criminal illegal aliens across the country.”

— Department of Homeland Security (republicanherald.com)

“Task Force Models are a particularly concerning model under the 287(g) agreement. Whenever you have local police meddling in immigration enforcement through 287(g) agreements, there's risks for rights violations. It's long been documented that, especially with Task Force Models, that those really encourage racial profiling and unlawful arrests, both because of the model and also the lack of sufficient training that local officers have.”

— Vanessa Stine, Senior Staff Attorney for Immigrants' Rights, ACLU of Pennsylvania (republicanherald.com)

What’s next

It remains unclear how quickly the Schuylkill County and Mahanoy City law enforcement agencies will be able to implement the 287(g) program and begin carrying out immigration enforcement duties.

The takeaway

The expansion of the 287(g) program has raised significant concerns about the risks of local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement, including the potential for civil rights violations and a breakdown in trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.