With immigration enforcement in the news every day and ICE agents visible in our neighborhoods, many people wonder just how federal immigration officers are working with Texas state and Dallas local officers. Here’s what you should know.
Immigration Is a Federal Matter With Local Impact
The federal government is primarily responsible for immigration. Entities like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operate under federal authority to enforce immigration laws.
But the immigration matters they enforce are happening locally. And local agencies, like the Dallas Police Department (DPD) or Dallas-Fire Rescue (DFR), often interact with federal immigration authorities when they’re asked for assistance.
It’s those local agencies that are responsible for enforcing city and state laws while upholding the constitutional rights of the people who live here.
Texas state law says that local entities like the police and fire department cannot prohibit (or even significantly limit) the enforcement of immigration laws. But, beyond this, to what extent are your local police collaborating with organizations like DHS and ICE?
The Federal 287(g) Program: What You Should Know
In the mid-1990s, Congress passed a major immigration law called the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). The Act was passed at a time when immigration was a hot topic, and lawmakers wanted to respond to public concerns about border security.
With IIRIRA, lawmakers added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The section authorizes ICE to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement officers.
These agreements are sometimes called “287(g) contracts” or “MOAs” (Memorandum of Agreement). It gives them the authority to do things that are usually only done by immigration officers.
There are a few main kinds of 287(g) agreements:
Jail Enforcement Model – This agreement allows ICE to train county jail staff to screen people for immigration enforcement after they’ve been arrested and booked in a local jail, whether or not they’ve been convicted of a crime.
Warrant Service Officer Model – This agreement authorizes local officers to serve ICE warrants and deliver immigration paperwork inside jails without ICE being there.
Task Force Model – This agreement grants the most powers, effectively turning local or state law enforcement officers into immigration enforcement agents. Local officers can question people about immigration status during routine police work, like traffic stops or field investigations.
Since the 1990s, 287(g) agreements have been used in a relatively small number of places, like jails. But times are changing. Many states, including Georgia and Florida, have recently passed laws requiring all their counties to participate in 287(g).
And more and more places are not just limiting these agreements to jails. Many are adopting the Task Force Model to increase deportations.
Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8) Now Requires Texas Sheriffs To Enter 287(g) Agreements
While many Texas counties have had 287(g) agreements for years, Texas has passed Senate Bill 8, which requires sheriffs in Texas to apply to the 287(g) program. The law went into effect on January 1, 2026. Data shows that, with the bill now passed into law, hundreds of Texas sheriffs have entered into agreements.
Dallas County has faced significant pressure to enter into a 287(g) agreement, too. No agreement has been signed as of mid-January 2026. However, some surrounding counties, like Tarrant, Denton, Ellis and Rockwall, have signed these agreements.
Plus, city police departments are under their own models. For example, Dallas city police assist ICE with things like setting up perimeters for immigration operations.
Matters may change very rapidly during this unprecedented time for immigration in Texas.
Worried About ICE in Dallas? Get Legal Help.
If you’re worried about ICE in Dallas, the best thing you can do is prepare. Talk directly and confidently with an immigration lawyer. Call attorney Mark E. Jacobs in Dallas, Texas, at 972-445-7577 or send him a message.
