The New Hampshire State Police is looking to enter a partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would give its troopers the authority to detain and arrest individuals based on their immigration status.
NH State Police has a pending application for the 287(g) program with ICE which would allow troopers to be deputized through the “task force model” - giving them the authority to perform immigration officer functions, according to ICE’s online database of participating agencies.
Several other law enforcement agencies, including several in Georgia and Texas, have also applied with ICE to join the program under the re-instated model, according to ICE’s database.
The Gorham Police Department also applied for the task force, according to the online database.
The task-force model was unavailable under Biden but on his first day back in office, Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to maximize 287(g) agreements for local law officers to investigate, apprehend and detain immigrants.
In the early 2000s, many of the initial participants in the 287(g) program had agreements that allowed them to enforce immigration laws in their communities, not just their jails. But problems arose in several places, including Arizona.
In 2011, a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice found that deputies in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, had engaged in a pattern of racial profiling, unlawful stops and arrests of Latinos. The Department of Homeland Security ended its agreement with the county.
In recent years, ICE has offered two types of 287(g) agreements to law enforcement agencies. One model requires four weeks of training and allows local officers to question suspected noncitizens who are jailed on other charges and detain them for ICE. The other model, which Trump launched during his first term, requires just eight hours of training and only allows local officers to serve federal immigration warrants.
As of December, ICE had 135 agreements with sheriff’s offices, police departments and prison systems in 21 states, with requests pending from 35 others. Two-thirds of the agreements were in just three states — Florida, Texas and North Carolina. But no agreements had been signed during Biden’s four years as president, according to ICE data.
The New Hampshire chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union called the 287(g) program “flawed and harmful”
“We will be submitting right to know requests to learn more about the New Hampshire State Police and Gorham Police Department’s applications to the 287(g) program, a flawed and harmful program that undermines police and community trust and makes communities less safe,” said Amanda Azad, policy director at the ACLU of New Hampshire in a statement.
When asked for comment regarding the application, a New Hampshire State Police spokesperson differed comment to the state governor’s office.
Boston 25 News has reached out to New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte but has not heard back.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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