ICE to Pay Insurance for Local Police Making Latino Arrests

Immigration authorities presented a plan to protect local police officers who make immigration arrests. The proposal seeks to cover them against potential financial consequences if accused of misconduct.

According to a planning document released Friday, the agency proposes subsidizing liability insurance. It would be directed at state and local agents trained to enforce federal immigration laws.

Partnerships between the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local police departments have skyrocketed since 2025. The liability insurance could give them an additional boost by eliminating an obstacle that was deterring several departments.

How the Insurance Would Work

According to ICE’s plan, agents would purchase a policy covering up to $500,000 in personal liability. That amount typically finances legal fees, settlements, and judgments.

Agents would be reimbursed up to $250 per year. That figure is approximately what the insurance is expected to cost per person.

ICE detailed the plan in a document directed at industry officials. The agency is evaluating hiring a third party for outreach, training, and communications support. That contractor would also select the insurance provider and process reimbursements.

An Unprecedented Expansion

Nearly 1,600 agencies in 32 states now have agreements to participate in ICE’s task force model, according to agency data. Under that framework, trained local agents can interrogate, arrest, and charge suspects suspected of being in the country without legal authorization.

The number of active agreements has grown steadily. ICE reports 2,315 signed memorandums in 39 states and two U.S. territories, according to its official portal updated in mid-August.

Arrests made through these programs rose to an average of 3,000 per month in the first two months of 2026. That compares to a monthly average of just 250 in 2024 during Joe Biden’s administration, according to data provided to UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project.

Concerns Over Legal Liability

As local agents take on more federal duties, their departments have expressed concerns about civil liability. Complaints involving excessive force, improper arrests, and illegal searches are the most common.

The problem is that local policies may not cover that work. Pennsylvania’s risk fund, for example, clarified it would exclude from coverage «proactive immigration law enforcement activities.» That forced several counties to seek alternative insurance.

Butler County Police Chief Michael Slupe said he found a policy to cover his 13 agents in the program. The cost was $20,000 in annual premiums. «I want to make sure the guys are covered additionally, so we had to spend the money,» he explained, adding that federal funds would cover the expense.

Voices For and Against the Plan

A prominent critic of ICE’s immigration enforcement offensive called the program another way to avoid accountability. «The concern here is that ICE is doing everything possible to ensure that police forces bear no risk whatsoever of liability,» said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute.

Bier has urged Congress to make it easier to hold law enforcement responsible.