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To find out whether a state police agency cooperates with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), check ICE’s current 287(g) participant map, then review the agency’s policies, state law, and public records. A missing 287(g) listing is not proof that the agency never shares information or responds to other ICE requests: formal delegated authority is only one form of cooperation.

What “cooperate with ICE” can mean

Before searching, decide which activity you want to verify. An agency might have a formal agreement that delegates limited immigration authority, share information, respond to ICE detainer requests, notify ICE about a person’s release, support joint operations, or provide access to databases. These are distinct practices, so evidence of one does not establish the others.

  • Formal delegated authority: participation in ICE’s 287(g) program under a specified model.
  • Information sharing: providing immigration-status information or other records to federal authorities.
  • Detainers and release notices: responding to requests to hold someone or notify ICE about a release.
  • Operational or technical support: participating in joint activity or allowing database access.

State law, local rules, and agency practice can affect these activities differently. The Brennan Center for Justice notes that localities may have authority over some choices even when state law does not expressly address them: its overview of state and local immigration-enforcement policy.

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Check ICE’s 287(g) participant map

  1. Open ICE’s 287(g) program page and follow its link to the participant map.
  2. Search for the exact name of the state police agency. Check whether the listing is current and identifies that agency—not merely a sheriff’s office, jail, or municipal police department.
  3. Record the listed model and any agreement details. ICE describes three models: Jail Enforcement, Task Force, and Warrant Service Officer.

The model matters. ICE says the Task Force Model lets officers use limited immigration authority during routine police duties and share information directly with ICE. A listing indicates formal program participation; it does not, by itself, describe every information-sharing or operational practice.

Check policies and law for cooperation beyond 287(g)

If the agency is not listed—or if you need to know about a particular practice—search its current written policies and the applicable state law. Try the agency name with terms such as:

  • “287(g)” or “memorandum of agreement”
  • “immigration detainer” or “ICE request”
  • “immigration status” or “federal immigration authorities”
  • “release notification”
  • “task force” or “database access”

Look for what information may be shared, who can approve a response, and whether the policy covers a state police agency or a different entity. Legal categories can matter: New York Attorney General guidance, for example, distinguishes immigration-status information from nonpublic details such as a person’s address or release information. That guidance applies to New York; it is not a nationwide rule. Read the relevant state’s own law and guidance rather than assuming the same restrictions apply elsewhere.

Understand what a detainer does—and does not prove

ICE describes a detainer as a request for release information and asks a facility to hold a person for up to 48 hours. A detainer is a request, not proof that an agency has a 287(g) agreement or that it complies with every request. A DOJ Office of Inspector General memorandum describes detainers as voluntary requests and documents differences among jurisdictions. Whether a particular agency may or must comply depends on governing law and its practices; verify both before drawing a conclusion.

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Request records if public sources leave questions

Use the applicable state public-records process to ask the agency directly. Make the request to the specific agency whose conduct you want to understand: state police, sheriff, jail, and city police are separate entities. Specify a date range and request records that can reveal different kinds of cooperation:

  • Current and prior agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other arrangements with ICE or the Department of Homeland Security.
  • Policies and procedures for ICE requests, detainers, release notifications, information sharing, and assistance.
  • Counts of detainers received and people transferred to federal custody, for a defined period.
  • Records of task-force participation, joint operations, database access, and related protocols.
  • Related expenditures, overtime, or reimbursements.

These are among the record types identified by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) as useful for examining agency involvement: CLINIC’s public-records request guidance. A response may be partial or require follow-up, so keep the request focused and clarify which agency and time period it covers.

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How to weigh what you find

Build your answer from several types of evidence rather than treating one search result as conclusive. An agency’s current agreement or policy is more direct evidence of its stated arrangements than a secondary summary; statutes and rules establish legal requirements, while records can show activity during a particular period.

  • Formal or informal: Is there a 287(g) agreement, another written arrangement, or evidence of practice without a formal agreement?
  • What activity: Does the evidence concern status information, detainers, release notices, joint operations, or database access?
  • Who is covered: Does the record name state police, or another agency in the state?
  • When and how complete: What dates do the records cover, and are they policies, incident records, counts, or summaries?

The Brennan Center for Justice reported 2,315 287(g) agreements nationally when its page was accessed in 2026. That time-sensitive national count does not establish whether a particular state police agency participates; check ICE’s current listing for that agency.

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