Governor Brad Little and the Idaho Board of Examiners approved a request Tuesday to allocate up to $300,000 from the Governor’s emergency fund to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in transporting hundreds of dangerous illegal alien criminals from Idaho jails.
This move follows the recent announcement that the Idaho State Police (ISP) entered into an agreement with ICE under the federal 287(g) program, which grants state and local law enforcement the authority to carry out certain immigration enforcement functions.
In May, Governor Little sent a letter to ISP Colonel Bill Gardiner requesting estimates for transportation costs related to moving these individuals. The Governor wrote, “An untold number of illegal immigrants poured into our country across an unchecked border for years under the Biden Administration, but with President Trump back in the White House we are seeing a solution to this public safety emergency as more and more dangerous criminals here illegally are being taken off our streets… I want to further strengthen our state’s partnership with President Trump to help address the national emergency posed by years of reckless border policies under the previous administration.”
Colonel Gardiner responded that the transportation of up to 100 trips, each potentially carrying multiple dangerous illegal alien criminals, could cost as much as $300,000.
The 287(g) program allows ICE to delegate immigration enforcement authority to state and local officers under ICE supervision. Idaho is employing the Jail Enforcement Model, which targets removable aliens convicted of crimes and held in state or local detention facilities. The program specifically focuses on transporting the most violent and dangerous illegal aliens who have completed their sentences out of Idaho jails.
The Governor’s emergency fund has previously been tapped to support ISP operations in border states, fund the investigation and capture of Bryan Kohberger—accused in the killing of four University of Idaho students—and combat fentanyl trafficking.
This funding allocation reflects Idaho’s ongoing efforts to bolster public safety by coordinating with federal immigration authorities to remove dangerous individuals from local custody.