Bexar County legislation enforcement businesses now have formal authority to help in federal immigration enforcement by way of new agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Whereas the Bexar County Sheriff’s Workplace entered into probably the most restricted type of cooperation tied to jail operations, two different businesses — the Texas Division of Public Security and the Precinct 3 Constable’s Workplace — have adopted probably the most expansive model of the federal program, which authorizes educated officers to help with immigration enforcement within the area.
A fourth company, the Balcones Heights Police Division, is pursuing an identical settlement.
These agreements fall underneath a federal program often known as 287(g), a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996 that enables ICE to coach and authorize state and native legislation enforcement officers to help with sure immigration enforcement capabilities. Participation in this system is voluntary on the federal degree and the scope of authority granted to native businesses relies on the kind of settlement they enter into.
Whereas the agreements have existed for many years, they gained renewed consideration practically a 12 months in the past, when President Donald Trump signed an govt order directing federal businesses to increase the usage of 287(g) partnerships “to the utmost extent permitted by legislation.” The order didn’t require state or native businesses to take part, nevertheless it signaled a federal push to extend cooperation with native legislation enforcement.
In a press launch dated Sept. 2, the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety introduced 287(g) partnerships elevated 609%—from 135 agreements to 958 because the Trump Administration took over. As of Dec. 30, the quantity has jumped to 1,275 signed memorandum of agreements, in accordance with ICE.
On the state degree, Governor Greg Abbott signed his personal govt order shortly after President Trump’s, directing “all acceptable state businesses to help federal actors working underneath the path of the Trump Administration with finishing up capabilities underneath federal immigration legal guidelines, together with investigating, apprehending, detaining, and eradicating unlawful aliens present in Texas.”
Texas lawmakers adopted with the passing of Senate Invoice 8, which went into impact on Thursday, Jan. 1. The legislation requires most county sheriffs — and any company working a jail on a county’s behalf — to request and enter right into a 287(g) settlement by Dec. 1, 2026. It applies solely to sheriffs and jail-operating businesses and doesn’t lengthen to municipal police departments, constables or the Texas Division of Public Security.
Even so, a number of businesses working in Bexar County have opted into this system forward of that deadline — in some instances with none authorized requirement to take action.
The agreements
ICE at present operates three major 287(g) fashions utilized by native businesses. Essentially the most restricted model focuses on cooperation inside jails, permitting officers to serve ICE administrative warrants or determine people already in custody for potential detention or removing.
Essentially the most expansive model — often known as the duty drive mannequin — authorizes educated officers to help ICE throughout area operations, relatively than limiting immigration enforcement to custodial settings. A fourth possibility, the tribal job drive mannequin, applies solely to tribal legislation enforcement businesses and isn’t utilized in Bexar County.
For sheriff’s workplaces that function jails, participation in 287(g) could be restricted to custodial settings or expanded into area enforcement, relying on the mannequin chosen. Businesses that don’t function jails — together with municipal police departments, constables and DPS — wouldn’t have that possibility and will take part solely by way of the duty drive mannequin in the event that they select to enter this system.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Workplace entered right into a warrant service officer settlement in late October, this settlement applies solely to individuals already in custody on the county jail. Underneath that framework, choose deputies who’re educated are licensed to serve ICE administrative warrants, however should not empowered to conduct immigration enforcement throughout routine patrols or visitors stops.
Elsewhere within the county, DPS and the Precinct 3 Constable’s Workplace entered into their very own agreements underneath the duty drive mannequin, the one possibility accessible to non jail working entities.
Precinct 3: Formalizing present cooperation
Precinct 3 Constable Mark Vojvodich mentioned his workplace entered right into a 287(g) settlement to formalize cooperation with ICE that was already occurring throughout routine work, relatively than to increase immigration enforcement into new areas.
“Properly we’ve at all times cooperated with ICE. In our regular duties, if we run throughout someone that we arrest for another felony or for one more offense, we mechanically would notify ICE on that, “ he mentioned. ”So we formalized that settlement for anyone that has a prison historical past or is moreover needed.”
Vojvodich additionally pointed to potential federal reimbursement as a consider formalizing the settlement. Underneath this system, businesses could obtain federal funding tied to officer coaching and sure arrests made along side common duties, although funding ranges rely on federal appropriations and program guidelines.
“The incentives are just about per officer, after which so long as they’ve one arrest, along side their common duties, the monetary incentives could be as much as $300,000 for any precinct that’s concerned,” he mentioned.” A whole bunch of precincts throughout Texas have already been doing so. I’ve gotten calls from a few them, the place they prepare their officers and have very minimal participation. Then that they had a case the place that they had a referral, and the federal authorities wrote them a test for practically $300,000.”
In September, DHS introduced further incentives using funds from the One Large Lovely Invoice that might permit ICE to totally reimburse collaborating businesses for the annual wage and advantages of every eligible educated 287(g) officer to incorporate as much as 25% of the officer’s annual wage in extra time funds. Further quarterly financial efficiency awards are additionally provided.
Regardless of the incentives, Vojvodich emphasised that the constable’s workplace wouldn’t be independently looking for out immigration violations and doesn’t plan to dedicate officers solely to immigration enforcement. As a substitute, he mentioned, the settlement applies solely when immigration points come up throughout arrests already made for different causes.
“We’re not really out trying independently for an ICE detainer or an ICE warrant,” he mentioned. “It’s simply what we run throughout in our regular duties.”
Vojvodich mentioned the settlement provides collaborating businesses discretion in how they apply the authority and that his workplace intends to restrict its involvement to custodial arrests tied to present warrants or prison instances.
“I’m not going to take two officers and say, ‘You’re going to offer me 40 hours every week of ICE enforcement,’” he mentioned. “That’s not going to occur.”
The constable mentioned the workplace’s major tasks — together with serving court docket orders, executing warrants and dealing with household violence instances — would stay unchanged.
Vojvodich mentioned the settlement was not vetted by way of county management earlier than submission however has been shared with the precinct’s county commissioner Grant Moody.
Moody mentioned he helps the choice.
“I absolutely assist the Precinct 3 Constable’s Workplace opting into ICE’s 287(g) program. Native legislation enforcement ought to at all times work in good religion with our federal legislation enforcement companions. Interval. Full cease,” he wrote in a press release. “I name on the Bexar County Sheriff, San Antonio Police Division and different Constables to decide to the identical in the event that they haven’t completed so already.”
Coaching has not but begun, Vojvodich mentioned that solely officers with greater than two years of expertise would obtain the coaching however didn’t present the entire quantity by time of publication.
DPS and Balcones Heights
The Texas Division of Public Security, which operates statewide and patrols main highways and roadways all through Bexar County with over 4,700 commissioned officers on the drive, entered into the duty drive mannequin in direction of the start of November. The extent of cooperation and quantity of officers educated to do enforcement throughout their prison investigations division and freeway patrol divisions has not been made public on the time of publishing.
The San Antonio Report reached out to the DPS concerning the extent of its cooperation however has not acquired a response on the time of publication.
ICE maintains publicly accessible spreadsheets itemizing all collaborating businesses, the cooperation mannequin and the date it entered the settlement. It additionally maintains an inventory of all pending purposes, as of Dec. 30 there have been 22 pending purposes, together with an software from the Balcones Heights Police Division, a small municipal company in northwest San Antonio.
Balcones Heights PD is looking for to enter into the duty drive mannequin settlement, the division consists of 26 sworn officers masking a municipality consisting of lower than one sq. mile. In response to a request for an interview concerning questions in regards to the pending software, division officers mentioned they’re working to determine a spokesperson to deal with questions however had not responded as of publication.
The San Antonio Report reached out to DHS in regards to the pending settlement with Balcones Heights PD and the present settlement with the Precinct 3 Constables; DHS didn’t deal with the specifics of both settlement.
As a substitute, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs for DHS offered a press release rejecting criticisms of the 287(g) program and disputing claims that it encourages racial profiling, whereas selling this system’s nationwide expansions.
Civil liberties advocate teams just like the American Civil Liberties Union have raised considerations in regards to the enlargement of 287(g) agreements nationwide, notably surrounding the duty drive mannequin.
In a September evaluation, Naureen Shah, director of presidency affairs for the ACLU’s Equality Division, warned that expanded use of 287(g) can blur the road between native policing and federal immigration enforcement. She argued that this system diverts officers from native public security work and erodes belief between legislation enforcement and immigrant communities.
Shah wrote that participation in this system could make residents much less prone to report crimes or cooperate with police, pointing to previous lawsuits involving illegal detention and racial profiling tied to comparable agreements.
In Bexar County, the place greater than 30 legislation enforcement businesses function throughout overlapping jurisdictions, the enlargement of 287(g) agreements means immigration enforcement authority now varies relying on which company initiates an encounter.
As state mandates strategy and federal reimbursement packages stay accessible, immigration enforcement within the county and the state will proceed evolving as native businesses determine whether or not and how you can take part.
