Home/ Mississippi — Mandatory 287(g) for all county jails + Glacier Act funding
Research Note Researched

Mississippi — Mandatory 287(g) for all county jails + Glacier Act funding

MS

Two Parallel Legislative Tracks

Mississippi is pursuing the most aggressive state-level immigration enforcement mandate in the country through two complementary legislative efforts.

1. Mississippi Immigration Enforcement Act of 2025 (SB 2511)

Mandatory 287(g) for all county jails — the most extreme state-level requirement found in research so far.

  • Deadline: By January 1, 2026, every law enforcement agency operating a county detention facility must enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE
  • Quarterly reporting: Beginning October 1, 2025, non-compliant agencies must report to the Department of Public Safety quarterly explaining noncompliance
  • Enforcement: The Governor may remove from office any sheriff or local official who fails to comply
  • Effect: This transforms every county jail in Mississippi into an ICE enforcement node — no opt-out

2. Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act (SB 2329)

State grant program to fund 287(g) participation, filed by Sen. Michael McLendon (R-Hernando).

  • Effective date: July 1, 2026
  • Mechanism: State-funded grants to reimburse local agencies for 287(g) costs including detention bed space, equipment, training, travel, and lodging
  • Funding sources: State appropriations plus federal grants, endowments, or gifts
  • Significance: First-of-its-kind state program to subsidize 287(g) participation — removes the cost barrier that prevents some counties from participating

3. House Bill 538

Anti-sanctuary expansion — would require all state and local government entities to cooperate with immigration enforcement. Passed the Mississippi House in February 2026.

4. SB 2114 — Illegal Entry as a State Crime (2026 session)

In April 2026, the Mississippi Legislature passed SB 2114, which criminalizes illegal entry at the state level and heads to Gov. Tate Reeves, who signaled he would sign it. Key provisions:

  • An alien who enters or attempts to enter Mississippi directly from a foreign nation anywhere other than a lawful port of entry faces state criminal charges — a misdemeanor with a minimum of 6 months in prison, escalating to felonies (2+ years) when combined with other offenses.
  • 287(g) reframed as “reasonable attempt”: By October 1, 2026, each county law-enforcement agency operating a detention facility must make a reasonable attempt to execute a 287(g) agreement with ICE, with quarterly compliance updates to DPS and reasons for any noncompliance. (Note: this is a softer “reasonable attempt” standard than SB 2511’s flat Jan. 1, 2026 mandate — worth tracking how the two laws interact.)
  • The ACLU of Mississippi and immigrant-rights groups have signaled likely legal challenges; SB 2114 closely mirrors Texas’s SB 4, which has faced extensive federal litigation over state preemption of federal immigration authority.

Current 287(g) Agreements in Mississippi

As of December 2025:

County/AgencyModelNotes
Harrison County SheriffJEM + WSOGulf Coast, Gulfport/Biloxi
Stone County SheriffJEM + WSO + TFMAll three models — most aggressive
Monroe County SheriffJEMNortheast MS
Lauderdale County SheriffWSOMeridian area
MS Attorney General’s OfficeTFMStatewide street enforcement
MS State Auditor’s OfficeTFMStatewide (pending in Hinds County)

Stone County stands out as the only jurisdiction with all three 287(g) models — jail screening, warrant service, AND street-level task force enforcement.

Additional IGSA/Holding Agreements

  • Madison County: IGSA since 2018 (Canton area; ICE arrests documented Dec 2025)
  • Hancock County: IGSA since 2020 (Gulf Coast transit point)
  • Hinds County: Pending agreement through State Auditor’s office (Jackson metro)

Why This Matters

Mississippi’s mandatory 287(g) legislation is the most aggressive state-level immigration enforcement mandate discovered in this research. Combined with the Glacier Act funding and the Governor’s removal power over non-compliant sheriffs, Mississippi is building a statewide immigration enforcement infrastructure where every county jail becomes an ICE node. This is the logical endpoint of the 287(g) explosion nationally — a state where opting out is literally illegal.

Sources

Edit this entry Report an issue
Last updated: Jul 3, 2026