287(g) immigration enforcement program expands to Mid-Michigan sheriffs

Key Takeaways

• Mid-Michigan sheriffs refuse full 287(g) program participation, citing trust and cost concerns.
• Only Jackson County Sheriff’s Department joined, but with a limited Warrant Service Officer initiative.
• 287(g) program raises civil rights, community trust, and financial burden issues among local law enforcement.

Mid-Michigan law enforcement agencies have recently taken a very clear stance when it comes to working with the federal government on immigration enforcement. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to reach out to police departments across the United States 🇺🇸, the Mid-Michigan sheriffs have mostly decided not to join the 287(g) immigration enforcement program. Only one agency, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, has signed on, and even then, only to a limited version of the program. As reported by VisaVerge.com, this pattern in Mid-Michigan lines up with a growing trend seen in other parts of the country.

To get a full picture of why these sheriffs are making these choices, it’s important to first look at what the 287(g) immigration enforcement program really is, what it asks of local police, and why it has become such a debated issue.

What Is the 287(g) Immigration Enforcement Program?

The 287(g) program comes from a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It gives DHS, and by extension Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the ability to make formal deals with state or local police departments. The main point of these agreements, which are called Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs), is to let selected local officers do certain immigration enforcement duties after getting special ICE training.

This means that under 287(g), local officers can:
– Interview people about their immigration status if they are in custody
– Search federal databases to check someone’s legal status
– Put “immigration detainers” on people—this is a hold request for ICE to take custody after their release from jail
– Give out Notices to Appear, which start the removal (deportation) process
– Turn over noncitizens to ICE agents for further action

Anyone performing these tasks must first get ICE training and are supposed to work under ICE’s direct supervision while doing immigration work. You can read more about the exact program details at this official ICE 287(g) overview.

Participation Status in Michigan

If you look across the state of Michigan 🇺🇸, you will actually find almost no police involvement with this program. The exception is the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, which joined only a limited side program called the Warrant Service Officer initiative. With this, some deputies in the Jackson County jail are allowed to identify individuals who already have ICE warrants. If they find someone who fits, they can hold that person for up to 48 hours while they wait for ICE agents to arrive.

It’s important to note that Jackson County is the very first and only agency in the state to join any part of 287(g). No sheriff’s department in Mid-Michigan has signed a broader 287(g) memorandum, making Jackson County a clear outlier.

Reasons Why Mid-Michigan Sheriffs Declined

So, what led most Mid-Michigan sheriffs to turn down offers from ICE and DHS to join the 287(g) enforcement program? Leaders have cited several clear reasons, and these are backed up by both scholarly research and the experiences of neighboring states.

Community Trust and Policing:
Many sheriffs are most worried about losing the trust of local people, especially those in immigrant communities. When local law enforcement officers start acting in the role of ICE agents, many residents—especially those who are undocumented or have family members who are—can become afraid. They might stop reporting crimes, sharing information about dangerous situations, or helping in investigations because they fear getting caught up in deportation efforts. This breakdown in trust can make communities less safe overall.

Public Safety and Police Priorities:
Law enforcement leaders have also argued that joining 287(g) does not help public safety in meaningful ways. Instead, it often shifts officer attention away from the main job of fighting crimes like theft, assault, and drug trafficking. Officers may spend more time doing immigration paperwork and less time solving violent or property crimes. This shift can hurt a department’s ability to serve the whole community.

Financial Burden on Local Governments:
Another major reason cited by Mid-Michigan sheriffs is the lack of financial support from the federal government. While ICE requires special training for officers and regular reporting, it does not always pay for these extra costs. Counties and cities may have to cover expenses for overtime, training, and holding detainees. For local governments that already face tight budgets and staff shortages, these extra costs can be hard to handle.

Civil Rights Concerns and Oversight:
Groups that study law enforcement have warned repeatedly about the risk of civil rights abuses under 287(g). When local deputies start looking at immigration status, there is a real risk of racial profiling—where officers unfairly target people based on their appearance, name, or accent. This is especially a problem in programs that are not focused only on serious criminals.

Many sheriffs fear lawsuits or complaints if they are accused of holding someone wrongly, arresting a citizen by mistake, or denying people fair treatment based only on suspicion about their background. These risks can outweigh any benefits seen from federal partnerships.

Support from National Groups and Research

The concerns raised by Mid-Michigan sheriffs are not unique to this area. Across the United States 🇺🇸, many sheriffs, police chiefs, and advocacy groups have spoken out about problems tied to local participation in federal immigration enforcement.

Multiple national studies have found that the main impacts of 287(g) can include:
– Reducing trust in local police, which leads to less crime reporting
– No clear improvement in solving major or violent crimes
– Greater staff shortages and overtime needs for small departments
– Increases in racial profiling complaints and lawsuits against counties

Groups like the American Immigration Council and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center have collected stories from areas with 287(g) agreements. These groups often find that the program is not well-targeted; instead of focusing only on dangerous criminals, it can sweep up people with no criminal records or only minor offenses, such as traffic tickets. The negative side effects then fall not just on those individuals but on entire communities.

Summary Table: Common Reasons for Declining 287(g)

Here’s a simple table that sums up the key reasons Mid-Michigan sheriffs share for saying no to 287(g):

Case Focus: Jackson County Sheriff’s Department

The one exception in Michigan is the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Their entry into the Warrant Service Officer program is more limited than the full 287(g) model. Jackson County deputies only check for ICE warrants and can hold people already wanted by ICE for a short time. This is quite different from broader agreements, where officers can start immigration investigations and even launch removal proceedings themselves.

Still, this move by Jackson County is worth watching, as changes in law or policy could expand their role in the future. Other agencies across Michigan and the rest of the United States 🇺🇸 will likely pay attention to what happens in Jackson to see if any of the risks discussed in research actually show up locally.

Broader National Picture and Trends

The stance of Mid-Michigan sheriffs reflects a bigger trend going on elsewhere. In recent years, more law enforcement leaders have stepped away from the 287(g) program. Even some counties that once held agreements with ICE have decided not to renew them or have limited their participation to just jails, rather than letting patrol officers act as immigration agents.

This overall move comes at a time when national conversations about the role of police, trust in government, and the rights of immigrant communities are at the forefront. Many advocates, lawyers, and even police officials now see local involvement in federal immigration work as potentially harmful.

Impact on Immigrants, Officers, and Public Safety

For immigrants in Mid-Michigan, the clear choice not to participate in most of the 287(g) program might bring a sense of relief. People can feel a bit safer reporting crimes, sending their children to school, or speaking up about abuse without as much fear of deportation. Of course, this does not mean that ICE operations stop altogether, but it does mean the local sheriff’s department is not directly acting as an extension of federal enforcement.

For officers, it allows departments to put more energy into handling local crime, building positive ties with residents, and doing the day-to-day work of public safety. Departments can also avoid spending money and resources on tasks that go beyond their main duties.

For the wider public, these decisions may support better community well-being. Safer, more trusting relationships between police and residents often means more tips about crimes, quicker responses to emergencies, and less overall fear of law enforcement.

Potential Drawbacks and Concerns

However, not everyone agrees that refusing the 287(g) program is best. Some supporters—including certain lawmakers and groups focused on border security—believe that granting local police immigration powers helps fight crime by making sure that dangerous individuals do not slip through the cracks. They argue that full participation in 287(g) allows for quicker identification and removal of those who have broken serious laws.

With only the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department involved in any part of 287(g), there is still ongoing debate about whether more counties should consider staying open to future ICE partnerships—especially if new federal money or training is promised.

The Ongoing Discussion in Michigan and Beyond

The discussion over whether to join, limit, or refuse the 287(g) immigration enforcement program is not over in Michigan 🇺🇸. With changes in federal guidelines, new leadership in local departments, or shifts in community population, these choices could be revisited.

For now, the position of most Mid-Michigan sheriffs is clear: they would rather focus on building trust, protecting community safety with the resources they have, and staying away from the risks and costs of federal immigration work that may not directly serve their residents.

If you’d like to better understand what official 287(g) agreements look like and how they work, you can visit the official U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) page about the 287(g) program.

Conclusion: What Does This Mean Moving Forward?

Mid-Michigan sheriffs’ refusal to join the 287(g) immigration enforcement program says a lot about today’s law enforcement priorities. By choosing not to act as extensions of ICE, most sheriff’s departments are putting a high value on community trust, sticking to their main crime-fighting tasks, and guarding against costly mistakes that could hurt local families or lead to lawsuits.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department stands alone in its limited agreement. But so far, the broader message is one of caution—a cautious approach echoed in other parts of the country as well.

As this debate continues, more research and careful study of the impacts—both positive and negative—of 287(g) will shape what happens next. For now, the story in Mid-Michigan offers a clear example of how sheriffs are weighing the needs of their residents above pressure from the federal government to take a bigger role in immigration enforcement.

People who want to follow changes or learn more about official programs and agreements can always look at resources like the main ICE 287(g) program site or see updates from trusted immigration news platforms like VisaVerge.com. This way, everyone—from immigrants to law enforcement officers to everyday citizens—can stay informed and make safer, better choices for their lives and communities.

Learn Today

287(g) program → A section of U.S. law allowing local police to perform immigration enforcement after ICE training and formal agreements.
Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) → Formal contracts between local police and federal agencies outlining specific responsibilities in immigration enforcement collaborations.
Immigration Detainer → A request to local law enforcement to hold an individual for up to 48 hours for ICE custody transfer.
Warrant Service Officer initiative → A limited 287(g) program version allowing jail deputies to hold people with existing ICE warrants.
Racial Profiling → Targeting individuals for law enforcement based on race, ethnicity, or appearance rather than specific evidence or behavior.

This Article in a Nutshell

Mid-Michigan sheriffs largely refuse participating in ICE’s 287(g) program, prioritizing community trust and local crime-fighting. Only Jackson County joined in a limited capacity. This follows national concerns about civil rights, costs, and effectiveness. The debate continues as communities weigh public safety against federal immigration enforcement partnerships.
— By VisaVerge.com

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