Idaho signs immigration agreement
Bonners Ferry Herald | UPDATED 2 days AGO
Little
Gov. Brad Little and Idaho Department of Correction Director Bree Derrick announced Wednesday that Idaho is joining ICE's 287(g) program.
The agreement, signed Aug. 28, formalizes a process the Idaho Department of Correction has long used to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with incarcerated individuals subject to federal immigration enforcement.
“Idaho has a responsibility to uphold the rule of law and protect the people of our state," Little said in a news release. "This agreement gives Idaho another tool to make sure criminal aliens who are subject to federal immigration enforcement are transferred to federal custody when they have completed their Idaho sentences."
Under the agreement, designated IDOC officials can serve existing ICE administrative warrants on people incarcerated in Idaho prisons. The department will continue coordinating with ICE when an individual's state sentence ends and facilitate transfers to federal custody when appropriate.
The 287(g) program allows ICE to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to carry out certain immigration enforcement functions under federal oversight.
ICE arrests with detentions have risen in Idaho from 15 in December 2024 to 213 in June 2026, according to the Deportation Data Project.
Post Falls joined the 287(g) program in July, joining agencies including Idaho State Police and several sheriff's offices, including Kootenai County.
“This isn’t to go out and do a roundup or some of the things we’re seeing take place across the country,” Post Falls Police Capt. Brian Harrison 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 offered a hypothetical example of a driver pulled over for speeding who is suspected of being in the country illegally. Without the agreement, officers could not detain the person solely on immigration status if no arrestable offense had occurred and federal immigration authorities were unable to respond promptly.