GOV. ABBOTT WIL SIGN THIS BILL IF IT REACHES HIS DESK

Texas Senate passes bill requiring local law enforcement to help with deportations 

 

By Marian Navarro

 

Texas Public Radio  

Apr 2, 2025

 

State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, is a co-author of the bill

The Texas Senate has passed a bill that would require local law enforcement to assist the federal government in deportation efforts.

Senate Bill 8 would require counties with populations of 100,000 or more to enter 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

These agreements allow local law enforcement officers to receive delegated authority from ICE to act as ICE agents in certain capacities.

Thirty-six Texas counties already have 287(g) agreements with ICE.

Georgetown State Sen. Charles Schwertner authored the bill. He said there are five counties that would have to fund the collaboration themselves.

"Tarrant County already participates. The other four counties would need to absorb it in their budget," he explained. "And as we all know, those budgets are big. ... I think the citizens of those counties would overwhelmingly support a 287(g) program and the identification, and removal, and detainment of criminal aliens from their streets."

Joan Huffman from Houston is a co-author of the bill. She said Harris County has had a 287(g) agreement in the past: "It was a very important tool and very successful in giving information to prosecutors and law enforcement about who was in the jail."

Schwertner added that the bill falls in line with federal immigration efforts.

Other senators voiced concerns about finances, racial profiling, and damage in trust. Harris County ended its 287(g) agreement for similar reasons.

The bill now heads to the Texas House for debate and a possible vote.