Contact: info@wooricenterpa.org // 267-270-9466
During the second Trump administration, sweeping and aggressive executive action has raised widespread concerns about holding the federal government accountable for its many violations of human rights. Many individuals have felt disempowered by being unable to stop administrative action and institutional powers that bend to political pressure.
Know Your 287g is a campaign to make public data on the 287g program accessible to the public. The 287g program is a federal partnership that authorizes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deputize state and local police officers to perform the duties of federal immigration agents. The program it allows local agencies to investigate, detain, and process non-citizens for deportation. Inspired by the Know Your Rights campaign, Know Your 287g campaign is meant to empower citizens and non-citizens alike to learn whether their local agency is contracted with ICE and decide whether they want to participate in the program. The problem is that most people are unaware whether their police office participates in the program. This is an effort to raise awareness and take action on your local agencies’ collaboration with ICE.
I would like to thank Jenna Lam, Professor Jack O’Brien, and Professor Jamella Gow for helping with project. Jenna Lam coded the website and interactive map. This effort would not be possible without any of their help.
History of 287g
In 1996, the United States Congress added section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which was codified as 8 U.S.C. § 1357(g). This federal statute authorized local law officers to detect, detain, and deport unauthorized immigrants through an agreement (Memorandum Of Agreement) with ICE. 287(g) authorizes law enforcement to carry out immigration enforcement, which is looking increasingly like criminal enforcement in its unpredictable and violent nature. This perpetuates the unnecessary criminalization of undocumented immigrants at the local level.
Local Deputization
Due to rising concerns of terrorism after 9/11, participation in 287g increased after 2001 and the program was able to expand beyond its original role moving forward. As a result, law enforcement officers who participate in the program can wield immigrant enforcement powers against residents in their municipality, an alarming power that has now been distributed without public input. Immigrant outcomes depend on individual decision-making of police officers, which is not their responsibility in the first place.
Consequences
Researchers have found that the 287g program enabled police officers to racially profile Hispanics. Law enforcement officers in North Carolina pulled over Hispanic-appearing drivers for “a traffic infraction, but with the intention of determining immigration status” (Nguyen and Gill 2010:39). The overpolicing of Hispanic individuals in the U.S. through immigration enforcement is part of a pattern. From January 2006 to November 2007, a study by UC Berkeley Law reported that the number of Hispanics arrested for minor crimes increased by nearly 150 percent (Gluss 2009). The program causes racially marginalized communities to live in fear of their law enforcement officers in addition to federal agents.