States fire back against ‘sanctuary’ resistance as they rally around Trump’s deportation efforts

A number of states are stepping up to aid the Trump administration in its efforts to arrest and deport millions of illegal immigrants, with Republican states countering the pushback against the operation from “sanctuary” jurisdictions.

The Florida Sheriff’s Association announced last week that jails in all of Florida’s 67 counties have now entered into 287(g) agreements, which originate from a Clinton-era immigration law and allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate immigration functions to state and local law enforcement. 

Additionally, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced earlier this month that the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida State Guard had also entered into agreements.

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“With the head of steam that President Trump has, being swept into office with this as the centerpiece of his agenda, now is the final time, final opportunity to end the illegal immigration crisis in this country once and for all, we need to be willing partners with the federal administration,” he said at a press conference.

ICE said the agreements allow state and local authorities to “to act as a force multiplier in the identification, arrest, and service of warrants and detainers on foreign-born individuals arrested on local criminal charges.”

A number of state and local law enforcement agencies entered into 287(g) agreements during the first Trump administration, but there were no new additions during the Biden administration, which largely limited interior enforcement.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January green-lighting new 287(g) agreements. The agreements come in three forms: a jail enforcement model to identify removal of immigrants with charges or convictions arrested by state or local law enforcement; a task force model that allows agencies to enforce immigration law during police duties; and a warrant service officer program that allows ICE to train agencies to execute warrants in their jails.

ICE now says that as of this week, they have jail agreements with 60 law enforcement agencies in 16 states, warrant agreements with 80 law enforcement agencies in 12 states and task force agreements with 15 agencies in six states.

While many of those agreements were signed in 2019 and 2020, agreements signed in 2025 include agencies from Florida, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, according to ICE’s website.

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There are additional pending applications from local agencies in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and Wyoming, according to ICE.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced last week that his office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation were entering into agreements that see agents receive ICE training.

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“All across Kansas, illegal aliens who are dangerous criminals or gang members are released back to the streets on a regular basis. That will end. This agreement will ensure that those criminals are deported,” Kobach said.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced agreements with Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Investigation. 

“Law enforcement can’t do their jobs with one hand tied behind their back. By working directly with ICE, our law enforcement officers now have additional tools to keep dangerous criminals off our streets and protect Oklahomans,” Stitt explained. “Oklahoma is proud to lead the way in strengthening border security from the state’s side and enforcing the rule of law.”

The agreements show the willingness of authorities in states across the country to help the Trump administration in its promise to ramp up arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants.

It counteracts the moves by “sanctuary” jurisdictions that limit or forbid local or state cooperation with ICE. The Trump administration has already started legal action against some of those jurisdictions, and has been pushing back against officials who are touting those policies.