Local law enforcement increases role in ICE immigration arrests

Local law enforcement agencies in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia are increasingly assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with immigration-related arrests. Federal data indicates that local police and sheriffs are playing a larger role in these operations compared to previous years.

In Kentucky, local law enforcement accounted for 18% of monthly ICE arrests in June. In Tennessee, state and local agencies represented 30% of reported ICE arrests in May. In West Virginia, local law enforcement has become the primary driver of ICE-related arrests, notably during “Operation Country Roads,” a two-week crackdown in January that resulted in approximately 650 arrests.

This increased cooperation is partly driven by the federal 287(g) program, which provides financial incentives to local agencies that deputize officers as immigration agents. Analysts note that the use of local jails to house detainees creates an economic market for rural communities facing federal funding cuts, a trend that mirrors historical patterns of rural areas relying on incarceration revenue to offset economic instability.