Earlier this month, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department entered the federal 287(g) program, which lets local agencies carry out many of the same functions as United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
That includes checking legal residency documents, accessing ICE databases and issuing the orders that start deportation proceedings.
Crawford County includes the city of Grayling.
In July, Congress made a total of $14 billion available to local agencies that join the 287(g) program.
That program will pay some salaries and overtime for county officers trained virtually by ICE. The cost of those trainings is subsidized by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
And, starting October 1, according to a recent press release, DHS will offer quarterly bonuses ranging from $500 to $1,000 per "eligible task force officer" for “the successful location of illegal aliens provided by ICE and overall assistance to further ICE’s mission to defend the homeland.” The release lists possible awards by percentage.
The Roscommon County Sheriff's Department, just south of Crawford County, is already part of the program. The memorandum of agreement between the Roscommon County Sheriff and DHS is posted in ICE records. Crawford County is listed as a participating agency, but the MOA has not yet been released.
Both departments patrol stretches of I-75, the major north-south highway that connects Detroit to the northern border with Canada.
There are seven local law enforcement agencies in Michigan that can enforce immigration laws. All have joined the 287(g) program since March of this year.
The Taylor Police Department, Roscommon County Sheriff's Department and Crawford County Sheriff's Office have what are called "task force model" agreements, which allow for limited immigration enforcement with ICE oversight during routine police duties, according to an ICE fact sheet.
Sheriffs' departments in Jackson County, Berrien County and Calhoun County all have "warrant service officer" agreements, allowing ICE to train and authorize local law enforcement to serve and execute immigration warrants in their agency's jail, also according to the fact sheet.
Crawford County Sheriff Ryan Swope referred questions to ICE, which did not respond in time for the publication of this story.
