Rep. Cline Introduces Bill Requiring Local Police to Help ICE to Get Federal Funding
To amend section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to make the entering into of memorandums of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a condition of eligibility for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program.
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and has been sent to the House Committee on the Judiciary for review. No further actions or hearings have been scheduled at this time. The bill is not actively moving forward.
This is a partisan bill that faces strong opposition from lawmakers who support sanctuary city policies. It would likely need a shift in control of Congress to become law.
By pressuring all local law enforcement agencies to sign 287(g) agreements with ICE, this bill would significantly expand the number of local police departments actively involved in immigration enforcement. Undocumented immigrants would face a higher risk of encounters with local police leading to detention or deportation, particularly in jurisdictions that currently do not cooperate with ICE.
“Any State or political subdivision of a State that maintains a law enforcement agency that, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the 287(g) Cooperation Act of 2026, has not entered into a written memorandum of agreement with the Secretary of Homeland Security under this subsection is ineligible to apply for or receive any grant under the `Community Oriented Policing Services' program”
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
U.S. Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) and nine other Republicans introduced the 287(g) Cooperation Act of 2026, which would require local police departments to work with federal immigration authorities if they want to receive federal policing grants through the COPS program.
Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06) introduced the 287(g) Cooperation Act of 2026 to strengthen federal-local immigration enforcement partnerships by requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to enter into a 287(g) memorandum of agreement with ICE to receive COPS grants.
The 287(g) Cooperation Act of 2026 ensures that COPS grants are strictly limited to jurisdictions that work with ICE, specifically targeting recent sanctuary policies implemented in Virginia that restrict local law enforcement from turning over criminal aliens to federal authorities.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To amend section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to make the entering into of memorandums of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a condition of eligibility for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program.
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