Washington, DC -- U.S. Congressman Kenny Marchant announced on April 25 that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has approved 287(g) status to the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) of Carrollton and Farmers Branch. 287(g) approval enhances the partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in order to maximize public safety.

Marchant recognized the diligence and efforts of Carrollton and Farmers Branch in attaining 287(g) status. “I salute Carrollton and Farmers Branch for all their hard work in this process.”

Carrollton and Farmers Branch will be joining Harris County as the first Texas jurisdictions with 287(g) status.

“Law enforcement agencies share the same purpose of combating crime to help ensure public safety. 287(g) helps strengthen this partnership by combining the skills, expertise and resources of each agency in order to best protect our communities,” said Marchant.

Under the 287(g) guidelines, local patrol officers, detectives, investigators and correctional officers working in conjunction with ICE gain: necessary resources and authority to pursue investigations relating to violent crimes, human smuggling, gang/organized crime activity, sexual-related offenses, narcotics smugglings and money laundering; and support in more remote geographical locations.

ICE provides training instruction and materials to the approved LEAs. ICE also supervises 287(g)-trained officers when they conduct immigration enforcement activities.

Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) authorizes the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions, pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), provided that these officers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of sworn ICE officers.

More than 600 officers across the U.S. have been trained and certified thru the 287(g) program. The multi-agency/multi-authority approach of 287(g) has helped generate hundreds of investigative leads, arrests and convictions for a variety of federal and state charges.

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