The Mississippi attorney general’s office now has the authority to enforce some federal immigration law, including identifying people in the country without authorization and initiating removal proceedings for those booked in a jail. 

This is possible through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Section 287(g) program. Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office is the only agency in the state that is part of the program, and her office is also one of three attorney generals to sign a memorandum of agreement to participate in the program. 

“This partnership will not only ensure that we protect our communities, but also strengthen our efforts to combat human trafficking, drug cartels, and violent crime,” Fitch said in a Thursday statement. “Together, we will make Mississippi — and our entire nation — safer than ever before.”

Once individuals are identified for deportation, they would be transferred to ICE custody. 

About half of all people detained by ICE have no criminal record, according to data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Many have minor offenses, such as traffic violations. 

Nearly 300 law enforcement agencies across the country have an active 287(g) agreement, according to current records from ICE, and nearly 30 additional agencies have pending agreements. 

As of February, participating 287(g) agencies have had over 900 encounters with people unauthorized to be in the country, handled over 600 detainers, filed over 200 charging documents, assisted with 170 removals and carried out over 150 warrant arrests, according to the most recent report from ICE. 

State and local law enforcement agencies are able to join the ICE program through a January executive order by President Donald Trump titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” 

Fitch’s office is participating in the program through a task force model. Through it, all sworn law enforcement officers with the office will be members. 

Other models of the 287(g) program include jail enforcement, where state and local law enforcement identify unauthorized people with criminal or pending criminal charges for deportation, and the warrant service officer model, which allows ICE to train and authorize state and local law enforcement to execute removal warrants on people in their agency’s jail. 

In addition to enforcement, ICE detainees are also being held in the state. Last month, private prison company CoreCivic announced it entered into contract modification for the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler to hold an additional 250 people. The facility has held ICE detainees there for years. 

The company also operates the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, which is holding the largest number of ICE detainees, averaging 2,153 a day, according to data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

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