Another MD county enacts 287(g) agreement while ICE continues its investment in the program
Wicomico County announces 287(g) immigration enforcement agreement. Plus: ICE issues RFI for 287(g) program implementation and outreach
Wicomico County is moving forward with a 287(g) agreement with ICE, as reported today by WBOC. The partnership follows the Warrant Service Officer model, authorizing local officers to serve federal administrative warrants to individuals already held in the local jail.
This is the first 287(g) agreement in MD in 2026 and the first since June of last year. In October 2025, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown issued guidance for state and local law enforcement officers working with federal agents. This memo limits MD state and local law enforcement’s ability to participate in the program, specifically through the Task Force Model, which is notoriously the most aggressive form of deputization.
“While Maryland law does not prohibit Task Force 287(g) agreements directly, § 5-104 does prohibit Maryland officers from taking the actions contemplated by such agreements.” -AG Brown Guidance Memorandum, October 2025
Wicomico is the ninth MD county joining the 287(g) program. All of the agreements are either Warrant Service Officer or Jail Enforcement models, the latter of which is designed to identify and process individuals with criminal or pending criminal charges that are arrested by state or local law enforcement agencies.
The Bigger Picture - ICE continues investment in the 287(g) program with new RFI
On Wednesday of this week, ICE released a new request for information (RFI) looking for vendors interested in supporting 287(g) program implementation and outreach.
RFIs are used as market research by the government to identify potential companies that are interested and capable of performing the work required. In this RFI, ICE is interested in companies with the capability to support nation-wide communications and marketing campaigns targeting Sheriff’s offices. The agency is especially interested in companies that:
Have relationships with all Sheriff’s Departments in the United States
Have a mechanism to reimburse departments for projects
Have a mechanism for mass communication with Sheriff’s Departments for large scale marketing
Are able to provide liability protection to participating officers
This RFI follows a solicitation that was issued late last year to set up a National 287(g) Call Center in Nashville and is further evidence that the agency is investing heavily in the program.
In 2025, over 1100 state and local law enforcement agencies signed agreements and in 2026, over 40 have joined the program with 28 more pending as the of date of the post.
It’s clear that ICE is gearing up for a large, nationwide push to onboard as many state and local law enforcement organizations as possible this year. These local police partnerships, combined with the agency’s hiring surges, infrastructure investments, military-grade equipment purchases, and enhanced surveillance technology upgrades paint a stark picture of what immigration enforcement will look like in the near future.