01/27/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FsQiEL54s/
Wildlife agencies were created to steward ecosystems, not to police immigration.
But new reporting shows the Trump administration is rapidly expanding ICE partnerships with state and local agencies, including fish and wildlife commissions, through the 287(g) program. More than 1,200 agencies have now signed agreements allowing local officers to detain and transfer people to ICE.
In Florida, Louisiana, and Virginia, wildlife agencies are participating directly. In Louisiana, wildlife officers have conducted joint patrols with ICE, CBP, and the Coast Guard in wildlife management areas, resulting in even people legally present in the U.S. being taken into federal custody.
This isn’t about public safety. Decades of research show there is no link between immigration enforcement partnerships and reduced crime. What these programs do create is a sprawling enforcement apparatus that blurs the lines between civilian agencies, concentrates power under the executive branch, and erodes democratic accountability.
When wildlife agencies are pulled into this system, the consequences ripple outward:
• Community trust collapses
• Conservation officers are turned into immigration agents
• Science-informed wildlife governance is sidelined
• Public lands become sites of fear instead of shared stewardship
This is how authoritarian systems grow: by normalizing enforcement creep and repurposing public institutions far beyond their mandate.
Take Action:
• Florida, Louisiana, and Virginia: Contact your governors, legislators, and agency leadership. Demand that wildlife agencies end all 287(g) agreements and refocus on conservation, not deportation.
• Everyone else: Look up which agencies in your state are partnering with ICE and pressure them to withdraw.
• Read our full post for details: wildlifeforall.us/287g-when-wildlife-agencies-become-immigration-police/
Defending wildlife, democracy, and human dignity are not separate fights. They rise and fall together.
