ICE Paid the Salaries of This Town’s Entire Police Force
On March 2, The town of Carroll, New Hampshire, with a population of 820, received a $122,515 bank transfer from the Department of Homeland Security, making it one of the first waves of local governments to reap the financial benefits of the Trump administration’s efforts to build a network of local agents helping enforce federal immigration laws.
Four months before the payment, the city had enrolled in the DHS “Task Force Model,” which is part of the department’s so-called 287(g) program. By signing up, the Caroll Police Department essentially committed to having its officers assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws under the direction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The city’s four full-time police officers — a chief, his lieutenant and two patrol officers — enlisted as task force officers. In exchange, DHS agreed to cover the costs incurred by its services, including salaries.
Records suggest this agreement is not unique, and while Carroll may be one of the first local police departments to receive significant payments under such an agreement, it will not be the last. As of March 23, 920 law enforcement agencies had signed up for the program, including 500 city, town and city police departments, according to data released by ICE and analyzed by WIRED. (In Florida, four Port and Airport Authority police departments and 16 university police departments have signed these agreements.)
Emails from ICE to the Carroll police chief, obtained through a public records request, provide a window into the financial nature of the administration’s recruitment efforts for this program. In September, around the time the department began submitting paperwork to join the 287(g) program, ICE offered up to $7,500 toward equipment for each officer who completed task force training, as well as $100,000 toward the purchase of a new vehicle for each department that submitted a new memorandum of understanding.
“Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our shared mission of defending the homeland,” the agency wrote in its recruiting message. “Together, we protect the American people, work to strengthen our nation’s security and resilience, and defend the rule of law. » In October, ICE increased financial incentives, pledging to cover agents’ annual salaries, up to a quarter of those salaries in overtime, and quarterly financial awards of between $500 and $1,000, based on each officer’s percentage of “successful ICE-provided alien locators.”
Two months later, Carroll helped place seven people in ICE custody “after a criminal investigation into several drunk driving crashes,” according to department lieutenant Ian MacMillan.
ICE also appears to be targeting lower-level agents in its efforts to form partnerships with local law enforcement, with a fact sheet and brochure about the program appearing on the agency’s website under the title “How Do I Convince My Chief or Sheriff to Participate in 287(g)?” (Last year, law enforcement organizations like the National Sheriffs’ Association criticized ICE for recruiting officers from the ranks of their deputy sheriffs.)
On the same webpage, ICE posted links to specific memoranda of understanding with local law enforcement, including Carroll. Records obtained by WIRED, however, reveal that as part of the process of recording the payments, ICE and Carroll agreed to a separate, nonpublic “services agreement” that included specific liability provisions.
DHS did not provide comment prior to publication.
The public agreement between Carroll and ICE states that if Carroll agents are named in a lawsuit related to federal immigration enforcement, they “may” request representation by the Department of Justice. The private agreement contains an additional commitment: If Carroll is named in a lawsuit filed by an immigrant challenging his immigration status or detention, ICE will “request that DOJ be responsible for the defense of any suit.”
The two agreements also contain different terms on confidentiality and access to records. The public agreement between Carroll and ICE states that Carroll “shall coordinate” with ICE’s public affairs office before disclosing information to the media about his work under the agreement. The agreement further states that “nothing herein shall limit” Carroll’s ability to comply with state public records laws. (WIRED obtained records by filing a request with Carroll under New Hampshire’s Right to Know law.)
