The Monetization of Misery: How 287(g) Turns Local Jails into Immigration Profit Centers
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The Facts: A Disturbing Expansion of Immigration Enforcement
The Trump administration has initiated one of the most aggressive deportation campaigns in recent memory, achieving a staggering 640% increase in 287(g) agreements with local law enforcement agencies since January. This program, which has existed for nearly three decades, effectively deputizes local sheriffs’ offices to act as immigration enforcement agents, allowing them to detain undocumented immigrants in local jails before transfer or deportation. In some cases, officers receive training to participate directly in ICE operations, fundamentally transforming the role of local law enforcement.
Butler County, Ohio, Sheriff Richard Jones exemplifies this trend, having reinstated his county’s partnership with the federal government immediately upon President Trump’s return to office. Under this arrangement, Butler County has housed approximately 2,000 ICE detainees in its jails, with daily numbers fluctuating between 300 and 430 individuals. What makes this partnership particularly concerning is Sheriff Jones’s frank admission about the financial incentives: the program has generated over $200 million for Butler County over twenty years, with projections reaching a quarter-billion dollars by 2027.
During his interview with Geoff Bennett, Sheriff Jones revealed several troubling aspects of this arrangement. He acknowledged firing ICE during the Biden administration’s four years but reactivated the partnership under Trump. Perhaps most alarmingly, Jones admitted that despite criticisms of racial profiling, he believes convincing “naysayers” is impossible, suggesting a dismissive attitude toward legitimate civil liberties concerns. The sheriff’s justification boils down to a simple premise: undocumented immigrants “snuck into the country” and “shouldn’t be here,” dismissing nuances about individuals who may pose no public safety threat.
Context: The Historical Framework of 287(g)
The 287(g) program originated in 1996 as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, but gained significant traction during the Obama administration. Sheriff Jones himself acknowledged that the “most deportation we ever done” occurred under President Obama, highlighting the bipartisan nature of immigration enforcement expansion. However, the current administration’s approach represents a quantitative and qualitative escalation that demands scrutiny.
The program operates through two primary models: the jail enforcement model, which screens individuals brought into jails for immigration violations, and the task force model, which trains officers to perform immigration enforcement during regular duties. Butler County employs both approaches, creating a comprehensive immigration enforcement apparatus within local law enforcement. This arrangement raises fundamental questions about the proper role of local police and whether immigration enforcement should fall within their purview.
Constitutional and Humanitarian Implications
The expansion of 287(g) represents one of the most significant threats to constitutional due process in modern immigration enforcement. By entangling local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities, we create a system where individuals can be detained for civil violations—immigration offenses—within criminal justice facilities. This blurring of lines undermines the principle that immigration matters are civil, not criminal, in nature.
The financial incentives create a perverse system where local jurisdictions profit from detention. Sheriff Jones’s blunt admission that “I don’t do it for free” reveals a troubling commodification of human beings. When counties become dependent on ICE detention revenue, they develop a vested interest in maintaining high detention levels, potentially influencing enforcement priorities and undermining the impartial administration of justice.
The potential for racial profiling cannot be overstated. Despite Sheriff Jones’s claims of monitoring stops and reviewing reports, the inherent nature of immigration enforcement based on appearance and language creates an environment where anyone who “looks foreign” becomes suspect. This erodes trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, making all residents less safe as crimes go unreported for fear of immigration consequences.
The Assault on American Values
As someone deeply committed to constitutional principles and human dignity, I find this system morally repugnant and fundamentally un-American. The Founders established protections against arbitrary detention precisely to prevent the kind of system 287(g) creates—where local authorities can detain individuals based on administrative violations rather than criminal conduct.
The financial aspect particularly troubles me. Turning human detention into a revenue stream corrupts the justice system’s purpose. When Sheriff Jones discusses bringing in $22 million next year, we must ask: Are these enforcement decisions driven by public safety concerns or budgetary considerations? The answer appears disturbingly clear.
Furthermore, the dismissive attitude toward criticism reflects a dangerous authoritarian streak. Sheriff Jones’s comment that he “could not convince the naysayers” even with 24 hours of explanation suggests a refusal to engage with legitimate concerns about civil liberties. In a democratic society, law enforcement officials should welcome scrutiny and demonstrate how they protect citizens’ rights—not dismiss critics as unconvincable.
The Human Cost of Institutionalized Detention
Behind the statistics and revenue figures lie human beings—families torn apart, individuals living in fear, and communities destabilized. The 287(g) program creates an environment where immigrants, regardless of their circumstances or contributions to society, live under constant threat of detention and deportation. This undermines the very principles of community policing and creates a two-tiered justice system where non-citizens receive inferior protections.
The program’s expansion also represents a fundamental shift in how we conceptualize justice. Instead of focusing on rehabilitation or community safety, we’ve created a system that prioritizes removal and detention. This approach fails to address the root causes of immigration or provide meaningful solutions, instead opting for a punitive model that benefits jail budgets while harming communities.
A Call for Constitutional Fidelity
True commitment to American values requires rejecting systems that prioritize efficiency and profit over due process and human dignity. The 287(g) program, in its current implementation, represents everything the Constitution’s framers sought to prevent: arbitrary detention, blurred jurisdictional lines, and law enforcement motivated by financial incentives rather than justice.
We must demand better from our law enforcement officials and political leaders. Immigration enforcement, while necessary, must respect constitutional boundaries and human rights. Programs like 287(g) that create profit incentives for detention and encourage racial profiling have no place in a society that claims to value liberty and justice for all.
The dramatic expansion of this program under the current administration should alarm every American who cares about constitutional governance. When local jails become detention centers for federal immigration enforcement, and when sheriffs openly discuss the revenue generated from human detention, we have strayed far from our nation’s founding principles. It’s time to return to an immigration system that respects due process, human dignity, and the constitutional framework that has made America a beacon of freedom for centuries.