ICE to now pay South Carolina police for immigration enforcement. What we know.
Some law enforcement agencies in South Carolina who participate in immigration enforcement can now get paid by the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
The new reimbursements by DHS through the ICE 287(g) program are the latest move in President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crack down, one of his signature issues.
Previous boilerplate agreements between ICE and local agencies participating in 287(g) said the local agencies were responsible for paying their employees even while they were carrying out immigration enforcement duties.
Now promising reimbursement is further incentive for local agencies to join.
Starting next month, ICE will reimburse agencies up to 25% of the pay per officer trained in the 287(g) program. Agencies also will be eligible for “quarterly performance awards” between $500 and $1,000 per eligible task force officer for successfully locating people in the country illegally.
ICE’s announcement specifically mentions the program’s task force model, which allows local and state officers to have limited immigration authority while performing routine police duties. However, it was not immediately clear if the program’s warrant service model and jail enforcement model would be eligible for the reimbursement. ICE didn’t immediately respond to requests for comments.
Money for the reimbursement is coming from funding for immigration enforcement approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
“ICE is not only supercharging our hiring, we are also multiplying partnerships with state and local law enforcement to remove the worst of the worst including murderers, gang members, rapists, terrorists and pedophiles from our country,” ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said in a news release.
Since Trump returned to office, the number of South Carolina agencies participating in the 287(g) program has increased from three to 26, including 20 sheriff’s departments, four municipal police departments, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Department of Public Safety, which includes the highway patrol.
Thirteen of those agencies are in the task force model: Beaufort County Sheriff, Berkeley County Sheriff, Chester County Sheriff, Coward Police Department, Duncan Police Department, Georgetown County sheriff, Holly Hill Police Department, Kershaw County Sheriff, Pickens County Sheriff, Scranton Police Department, South Carolina Department of Public Safety, SLED and the Union County Sheriff.
“DHS’ decision to reimburse states who participate in the 287(g) program to combat illegal immigration is the right signal to send to enhance this program and keep our nation safe,” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a statement. “Under the Biden Administration, this program died on the vine. I am so pleased the Trump Administration is fully committed to making the 287(g) program one of the most effective tools in the fight against illegal immigration.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
