FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — A proposal requiring Kentucky law enforcement agencies to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be considered by the General Assembly next year.
The proposal was recently discussed during an Interim Local Government Committee meeting.
"These officers are deputized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and they can only engage in this limited enforcement while under the supervision of the federal authorities," said Rep. T.J. Roberts, who presented the proposal.
Currently, law enforcement groups across the state have the option to participate in an ICE program that trains and deputizes local police to act as federal agents. The proposal brought up in the Kentucky Legislature would mandate participation in this program.
The ICE program is called the 287(g) Task Force Model. Local police departments are trained by ICE, and those officers are then deputized and able to perform immigration-related duties. The federal government offers financial incentives for local police to participate.
The Kentucky lawmaker pushing for this clarified that the duties are limited and local police need to be investigating someone for something else.
"This is not independent raids. This is if they pull someone over for supposed DUI, or they are called for any other type of case, they are then able - upon reasonable suspicion - to investigate or not [whether] the individuals involved are here legally," Roberts said.
Some lawmakers raised concern about the program's impact on civil liberties.
"What we are seeing in multiple places and cities is that individuals are literally being kidnapped off the streets by individuals who are not showing identification, who are not in properly marked vehicles, who are not providing warrants," Rep. Sarah Stalker said.
"So, I feel like this would simply exacerbate an issue that is already on its own out of control," Stalker added.
Some advocacy groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, have already come out strongly against the proposal.
“The ACLU of Kentucky strongly opposes BR 1139, which would force every local law-enforcement agency and the Kentucky State Police to enter into a 287(g) ‘Task Force Model’ agreement with ICE, a program that deputizes local officers to act as federal immigration agents during routine policing. This is another bad attempt to copy and paste a failed idea used in other states into Kentucky law," Amber Duke, the group's executive director said. "This attack on local control will undermine public safety, erode constitutional rights, strain law-enforcement resources, and damage community trust across Kentucky. Lawmakers in the 2026 General Assembly should reject this harmful and unnecessary mandate and keep local policing focused on protecting everyone in our communities.”
