Espaillat Calls For End of Deputization of Local Police As Immigration Enforcement

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), in collaboration with Reps. Mike Quigley (IL-05) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) led more than 40 members of Congress in sending a letter calling for the Biden administration to end local law enforcement entanglement with immigration enforcement. They requested a status update on the formal review and termination of 287(g) agreements, which were dramatically expanded under former President Trump. The 287(g) program allows the Department of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies for the purposes of enforcing federal immigration law. This is now the third time Quigley has led his colleagues in reaching out to the administration on this issue.

In September 2021, members also sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas calling for the end of the 287(g) program. However, to date the agency has not announced a process for this review—including seeking input from community members, public safety experts and other stakeholders—nor has it described a timeline for it.

The members wrote, “Our constituents expect us to condemn local law enforcement’s abuses and support police reform– not reward serial abusers with federal immigration authorities, training and partnership. It is time to dismantle this program and the administration’s partnerships with abusive local law enforcement agencies. We look forward to receiving your update on your agency’s review and plans to terminate the dangerous program.”

The full text of the letter is available below and a copy of the pdf is available HERE.

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