ICE pitches legal insurance to help shield local officers who make immigration arrests

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is proposing a plan to provide liability insurance for local police officers who enforce immigration laws. The aim is to protect these officers from financial consequences if they face accusations of misconduct while on duty. ICE believes the insurance plan could encourage more local departments to partner with the federal agency, following a surge in arrests by ICE's local partners since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year.

Under the proposal, officers would purchase insurance coverage up to $500,000 in personal liability, with reimbursements of up to $250 annually for insurance costs. Critics, such as David Bier, a Cato Institute immigration policy expert, argue that the insurance program could shield officers from personal accountability for their actions.

The plan involves ICE hiring a contractor to manage outreach, training, and communications for its "287(g)" partnerships with local departments, which are named after a 1996 immigration law section. The contractor would handle insurance vendor selection and reimbursement processes. The timeline for launching the program and its estimated cost remain unclear, with no immediate ICE comment on the proposal.