ICE pays the salaries of the entire police force in this city

On March 2, Carroll Township, New Hampshire, population 820, received an A Wire transfer of $122,515 from Department of Homeland SecurityThat makes them among the first wave of local governments to reap the financial benefits of the Trump administration’s efforts to build a network of local officers who help enforce federal immigration laws.

Four months before the payment, the city had signed up as part of DHS’s so-called “workforce model.” 287(g) program. By signing up, the Carroll Police Department essentially pledged that its officers would assist in enforcing federal immigration laws as directed Immigration and customs. All four of the city’s full-time police officers — the chief, his lieutenant and two patrol officers — have signed on as task force officers. In return, DHS pledged to cover the costs incurred by its services, including salaries.

Records indicate that this agreement is not unique, and while Carroll may be one of the first local police departments to receive significant payments under this agreement, it will not be the last. As of March 17, 900 law enforcement agencies had signed up for this program, including 431 police departments in towns, villages and cities, according to Data published by ICE And analyzed by WIRED. (In Florida, four Ports and Airports Authority police departments and 19 university police departments have signed these agreements.)

Emails from ICE to the police chief in Carrollobtained through a public records request, provides some window into the financial nature of the administration’s recruitment efforts for this program. In September, as the department began filing paperwork to join the 287(g) program, ICE offered up to $7,500 for equipment for each officer who completed task force training, along with $100,000 to purchase a new vehicle for each department that submitted a new memorandum of agreement.

“Thank you for your steadfast commitment to our shared mission of defending the homeland,” the agency wrote in its hiring letter. “Together, we protect the American people, work to strengthen our nation’s security and resiliency, and uphold the rule of law,” he added. In October, ICE increased financial incentives, pledging to cover officers’ annual salaries, with up to a quarter of those salaries in overtime costs and quarterly bonuses of between $500 and $1,000 based on each officer’s percentage of ICE’s “successful alien placement.”

Two months later, Carroll helped detain seven individuals into ICE custody “following a criminal investigation into multiple drunk driving incidents,” according to Ian McMillan, a lieutenant with the department.

ICE also appears to be targeting lower-level officers in its efforts to form partnerships with local law enforcement, with a fact sheet and brochure about the program emerging. On the agency’s website Under “How can I convince my boss or sheriff to participate in 287(g)?” (Last year, law enforcement organizations, such as the National Sheriffs’ Association, criticized ICE for appointing officers from among the ranks of deputy sheriffs.)

On the same web page, ICE released links to specific memorandums of agreement reached with local law enforcement agencies, Including Carol. However, records obtained by WIRED reveal that as part of the payment recording process, ICE and Carroll agreed to a A separate, non-public “Service Agreement”. Which included specific language about liability.

The Department of Homeland Security did not provide any comment prior to publication.

the General agreement Carroll and ICE argued that if Carroll’s officers were named in a federal immigration enforcement lawsuit, they “may” seek representation from the Department of Justice. The private agreement contains an additional pledge: If Carroll is named as part of a lawsuit by an immigrant challenging immigration status or detention, ICE will “require that the Department of Justice be responsible for the defense of any suit.”

The two agreements also contain different language about confidentiality and access to records. The general agreement between Carroll and ICE states that Carroll “shall coordinate” with ICE’s Office of Public Affairs before releasing information to the media about her work under the agreement. The agreement also states that “nothing herein limits” Carroll’s ability to comply with state public records laws. (WIRED obtained the records by submitting a request to Carroll under the New Hampshire Right to Know Law.)