These Arkansas agencies are approved to conduct immigration enforcement: ICE

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — As the Arkansas National Guard begins assisting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with immigration enforcement, more than a dozen state agencies have also been approved to help through a program.

ICE says agencies in 40 states have been approved to assist the department through the 287(g) Program as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

“The 287(g) program allows ICE — through the delegation of specified immigration officer duties — to enhance collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws,” ICE’s website says.

Last month, Act 654, titled the Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act, went into effect. The law required the state Division of Corrections and county sheriffs who maintain a detention center to participate in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Warrant Service Officer program.

Act 654 mandated enhanced penalties for felonies by people in the country without the correct paperwork of up to four years and forbade any Arkansas local government from having a sanctuary policy.

The law also allowed Arkansas law enforcement to participate in the 287(g) program “to enhance cooperation with federal immigration officials.”

ICE says it operates three models through the 287(g) Program. Here’s how the department describes each model:

• The Jail Enforcement Model: designed to identify and process removable immigrants — with criminal or pending criminal charges — who are arrested by state or local law enforcement agencies.
• The Task Force Model: serves as a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties.
• The Warrant Service Officer program: allows ICE to train, certify and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative warrants on immigrants in their agency’s jail.

These are the Arkansas agencies approved by ICE to assist through the program as of Sept. 9:

• Arkansas State Police Department (Task force model)
• Baxter County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer & task force model)
• Benton County Sheriff’s Office (Jail enforcement model)
• Craighead County Sheriff’s Office (Jail enforcement model)
• Crawford County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer)
• Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant Service officer)
• Fordyce Police Department (Task force model)
• Hampton Police Department (Task force model)
• Johnson County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer)
• Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer & task force model)
• Little River County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer & jail enforcement model)
• Miller County Sheriff’s Office (Task force model)
• Osceola Police Department (Task force model)
• Saline County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer)
• Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer)
• Texarkana Police Department (Task force model)
• Washington County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer)

ICE says that these three Arkansas agencies’ applications are pending as of Sept. 9:

• Arkansas National Guard (Task force model)
• Dallas County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant service officer & task force model)
• Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department (Warrant service officer)

For more information on the program, visit ICE’s website.