The Arkansas National Guard has applied for federal authority to make immigration arrests under a controversial enforcement program, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data.
ICE’s website shows the Guard’s application for the “task force model” of the 287(g) program is pending as of Aug. 14. If approved, trained Guard members could stop, question and arrest individuals based solely on suspected immigration violations powers local law enforcement typically does not have.
The task force model, suspended during former President Barack Obama’s administration and revived by President Donald Trump after returning to office in January, allows state and local agencies to conduct immigration enforcement duties outside of jails.
The Arkansas Legislature this year approved Act 426, the Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act, which requires the Arkansas State Police, Department of Corrections and county sheriffs to apply for 287(g) authority under the more limited “warrant service officer” model. That model allows agencies to serve immigration warrants to people already in local custody. The Guard was not included in the mandate but applied voluntarily, joining ASP and several sheriff’s offices in seeking the broader task force powers.
The American Immigration Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, has criticized the task force model as having a “track record of racial profiling and harm.”
Data obtained by DeportationData.org through federal Freedom of Information Act requests shows more than 1,500 immigration arrests have been made in Arkansas so far this year.
A Guard spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. ICE did not say when the Guard’s application was submitted or when it might be approved.
For more on this story visit Arkansas Advocate.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI