Overview

Two bills in Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session would mandate all law enforcement agencies enter 287(g) agreements with ICE. If passed, Kentucky would become one of the most aggressive states in the country for compulsory immigration enforcement cooperation. The bills come after 22 agencies voluntarily signed 287(g) agreements in 2025.

House Bill 47

• Primary sponsor: Rep. TJ Roberts (R-Burlington, Northern Kentucky)
• Co-sponsors: 18 total, including 3 Northern Kentucky Republicans
• Would require: All Kentucky State Police posts enter Task Force Model 287(g) agreements with ICE
• Training: 40 hours of ICE training counting toward annual in-service requirements
• Status: Assigned to House Judiciary Committee
• Presented: During Interim Joint Committee on Local Government (Nov 20, 2025)

Senate Bill 86

• Goes further than HB47: Would require BOTH Kentucky State Police AND all local law enforcement agencies to participate in all three 287(g) models (Task Force, Jail Enforcement, Warrant Service Officer)
• Sponsors: 10
• Status: Awaiting committee assignment

Context: 287(g) Expansion

• Nationally: 287(g) agreements surged from 135 on inauguration day 2025 to 1,300+ by January 2026
• Kentucky: 22 agencies signed voluntarily in 2025; grew to 30 contracts across 24 agencies by early 2026
• Financial incentive (Oct 2025): ICE implemented full salary/benefit reimbursement for participating officers plus performance bonuses based on “successful location of illegal aliens”
• 20 of 30 Kentucky contracts use the Task Force Model (most aggressive)

Why It Matters

These bills would remove local discretion from the immigration enforcement equation entirely. Currently, individual sheriffs and police chiefs decide whether to cooperate — and some have declined (notably Oldham County Sheriff). HB47/SB86 would eliminate that choice, making every police encounter in Kentucky a potential immigration enforcement action.

The performance bonus structure — paying agencies based on how many people they help ICE locate — creates a bounty system that incentivizes racial profiling. Combined with mandatory participation, this would effectively turn every Kentucky officer into an ICE agent.

Sources

• LINK NKY: Three NKY Republicans co-sponsor bill requiring state, local law enforcement to enter ICE agreements
• LPM: Kentucky GOP bills would require locals to work with ICE, ban sanctuary policies
• Kentucky Lantern: Republican introduces proposal to require Kentucky police agencies to have ICE agreements
• WKMS: Proposed bill would force Kentucky police departments to work with ICE task force program
• Legislature pre-filing: Nov 20 2025 Roberts 26 RS BR 1139