The Marco Island City Council discussed an agreement that would allow local police officers to help enforce federal immigration laws alongside the federal government.
The agreement passed unanimously in Monday's meeting.
The proposal falls under the 287(g) program , an initiative that enables local law enforcement—once trained and deputized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—to screen individuals for immigration violations, conduct search warrants, issue detainers, and process deportation proceedings in order to serve as an assistive branch of the federal agency.
The program is used operationally by every single sheriff's office across the state of Florida, and numerous local police departments, according to the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Police Department's Public Information Officer declined to comment ahead of Monday's meeting, but documents show the agreement would empower local officers to:
- Identify and process individuals suspected of immigration violations
- Issue detainers to hold individuals for ICE
- Execute administrative warrants for noncitizens in custody