Texas Democrats Call on Six Bexar County Cities to End ICE 287(g) Partnerships

During a news conference in San Antonio, Representatives Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar pressed six Bexar County cities—Hollywood Park, China Grove, St. Hedwig, Balcones Heights, Sandy Oaks and Von Ormy—to abandon their participation in the Task Force model of the 287(g) program, which authorizes local police to enforce immigration law and query individuals about citizenship. The duo claimed the arrangements foster racial profiling and turn community officers into extensions of federal immigration enforcement, while also offering financial incentives that help municipalities balance their budgets.

Castro highlighted incidents of ICE brutality he and Casar have witnessed, referencing the Dilley trailer prison and the South Texas Family Residential Center, which he says suffers from medical neglect. Although the 287(g) provision originated in the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and was funded by the 1997 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act signed by President Bill Clinton, the lawmakers framed it as a legacy of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. They concluded by urging local mayors to cease the agreements and restore policing to its traditional community role.