Texas Senate OKs Reimbursing Police for Immigration Training

AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Senate has voted to authorize nearly $340,000 over the next two years to reimburse counties whose police officers attend U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement training on better enforcing federal immigration law. A bill by Senator Bob Hall of Edgewood, approved Monday, creates a program administered by the governor’s office that reimburses counties for police attending ICE training. It now heads to the state House.

Under ICE’s 287(g) program, sheriff’s office personnel are trained so that people jailed locally and found to be in the country illegally can be held until federal agents decide if deportation is appropriate. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas says 13 counties around the state have recently entered into 287(g) agreements. ICE runs a training program in South Carolina for participating law enforcement officers.