The Post Falls Police Department has entered an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that will allow the agency to perform immigration duties, the city of Post Falls announced Friday.

According to the city, Post Falls is the first city in Idaho to join the federal 287(g) program, which allows trained local police officers to perform specific immigration enforcement functions under the supervision and direction of ICE. 

“Public safety is our top priority in Post Falls,” said Post Falls Police Chief Mark Brantl. “By participating in the 287(g) program, our officers will gain additional tools to address serious criminal activity linked to immigration violations. This agreement enables us to work more effectively with federal partners to remove dangerous individuals from our community, while continuing to focus on community-oriented policing.” 

Other law enforcement agencies that have joined the program since 2025 include Idaho State Police, as well as the sheriff’s offices in Kootenai, Franklin, Caribou, Washington, Bonneville, Bingham and Owyhee counties. 

During this year’s session, Idaho lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to pass legislation to require all local and county law enforcement agencies in the state to apply to the program. 

With the new agreement in place, seasoned Post Falls police officers will receive training in immigration law and procedures, according to the city. They’ll also be able to access federal databases so they can check the immigration status of people they contact. 

Capt. Brian Harrison said Post Falls police will conduct immigration actions in the course of their usual duties, rather than specifically seeking people who don’t have legal status. 

“This isn’t to go out and do a roundup or some of the things we’re seeing take place across the country,” he said. “If we happen to come across you through normal actions in Post Falls and through that interaction we discover you’re in the country illegally, we can take action.” 

Harrison said such interactions have occurred in Post Falls but could not estimate how frequently. 

“Depending on the circumstances, we may not have a reason to lawfully detain someone based on a local statute,” he said. “We can’t wait for ICE or Border Patrol to respond.” 

He gave the hypothetical example of a driver pulled over for speeding who is suspected of having entered the country illegally. If no arrestable offense is alleged to have occurred and immigration authorities can’t respond right away, local police can’t detain the individual solely based on their immigration status. 

Under the agreement with ICE, however, they can. 

“This gives us the ability to take some enforcement action on federal immigration law,” Harrison said. 

People who are arrested through immigration enforcement actions in and around North Idaho are typically held in the Kootenai County jail for a day or so before they’re transferred to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, a privately run immigration prison operated on behalf of ICE. 

Authorities have previously estimated that about 80% of local border patrol holds involve people who were detained by federal authorities in Washington or Montana and temporarily handed off to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office before they’re sent on to Tacoma. 

In a statement issued Friday, the city of Post Falls said the partnership “aligns with Idaho’s ongoing initiatives to support federal immigration enforcement and ensure that local law enforcement can effectively address public safety concerns.” 

“We are proud to continue our partnership with federal law enforcement to keep our city safe and we reiterate our commitment to enforcing the law,” said Post Falls Mayor Randy Westlund. “This partnership advances these goals and strengthens our community.” 

    Westlund