Overview

Putnam County (Cookeville) was the first Tennessee law enforcement agency to enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE after Trump reentered the White House, and the first in the state to adopt the Task Force Model — the most aggressive 287(g) variant that allows street-level immigration enforcement during routine police activities.

Key Details

Timeline

• February 2025: Sheriff Eddie Farris signed the Jail Enforcement Model (JEM) agreement
• June 24, 2025: Putnam County became the first in Tennessee to opt into the Task Force Model

Models implemented

1. Jail Enforcement Model (JEM): Deputizes corrections officers to investigate immigration violations of people arrested on criminal charges
2. Task Force Model (TFM): Allows officers to enforce immigration authority during routine police duties (e.g., DUI checkpoints, traffic stops) and share information directly with ICE

Results

• ICE bed contract: 36 beds at Putnam County Jail
• 231 individuals arrested and processed through the jail have had ICE detainers placed on them

Significance

• Putnam County set the template for Tennessee’s 287(g) expansion
• The Task Force Model is the most controversial because it enables immigration enforcement outside the jail context — effectively turning local police into immigration officers during routine encounters
• This makes Putnam County a key case study for the street-level impact of 287(g) expansion

Sources

• Putnam County Sheriff’s Office first TN agency to opt into ICE Task Force Model (WSMV, Jun 2025)
• New ICE contracts in Tennessee (AKIN, May 2025)
• Sheriff discusses ICE partnership during campus event (Highlands Insider)
• Update on county-level 287(g) programs in Tennessee (AKIN, Nov 2025)

Other signals in this county