BOISE — Gov. Brad Little and Idaho Department of Correction Director Bree Derrick announced Idaho has entered into a 287(g) warrant service officer agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), expanding upon the state’s partnership with the federal agency.
The warrant service agreement will provide designated IDOC officials with authorization to serve existing ICE administrative warrants for individuals incarcerated in Idaho prisons. It is one of several 287(g) agreements that deputize state and local law enforcement officers for varying federal immigration enforcement duties.
“Idaho has a responsibility to uphold the rule of law and protect the people of our state,” Little said in a news release from his office. “This agreement gives Idaho another tool to make sure criminal aliens who are subject to federal immigration enforcement are transferred to federal custody when they have completed their Idaho sentences. Idaho will continue working with the Trump administration to secure our communities and support the enforcement of our nation’s laws.”
According to the release, the agreement was signed Aug. 28 and “formalizes” a process that has already been used by IDOC to assist ICE with individuals incarcerated in Idaho prisons who are subject to federal immigration enforcement actions. IDOC has previously provided ICE with information on individuals with felony convictions and allowed ICE to identify individuals who may be subject to immigration detainers.
IDOC also facilitates “due process hearings” for individuals undergoing deportation proceedings and coordinates with ICE when Idaho sentences have been “satisfied,” the release continued.
“IDOC has a longstanding responsibility to coordinate with our federal partners when individuals in our custody are subject to federal immigration enforcement,” Derrick said in the release.
“This agreement strengthens that coordination and gives our department a clear, formal process for serving ICE warrants and transferring individuals into federal custody when their Idaho sentences are complete.”
Wednesday’s announcement represents an expansion of the state’s cooperation with ICE after the Idaho State Police entered into its own 287(g) agreement with the federal agency to facilitate the transport of unauthorized immigrants who have been convicted of crimes to detention centers for deportation, an agreement arrived at in June 2025, as was previously reported by the Idaho Press. According to the release issued Wednesday, that agreement has facilitated the removal of “dozens” of undocumented immigrants
According to ICE’s current list of agencies participating in 287(g) agreements, 12 Idaho law enforcement agencies have entered into such arrangements, including the warrant service, jail enforcement and task force models. In the case of the jail enforcement model, designated officers are able to identify and process removable undocumented immigrants who have pending or active criminal charges. The task force model allows designated officers limited immigration authority while conducting routine police duties or as an active participant in an ICE-led task force.
The Idaho Legislature introduced several pieces of legislation this year seeking to require local law enforcement to apply for these agreements, but both ended up failing after receiving pushback from local law enforcement agencies.
In July, Bonneville County Sheriff and representative of the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association (ISA) Sam Hulse, whose agency entered into a 287(g) warrant service agreement in 2025, went before the legislature’s Committee on Federalism to discuss those past efforts, reiterating the concerns previously testified to by law enforcement.
“In Idaho, participation in the ICE partnership programs is voluntary and should remain a decision of locally elected officials who are accountable to their communities they serve,” Hulse said in July.