CAMDEN, DE - The Camden Police Chief says the department has withdrawn from a partnership agreement with ICE after community push back.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) named the Camden Police Department as official 287(g) agreement partners, which would have made them the first police organization on Delmarva to be listed in such a partnership.
Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows ICE to delegate the authority to perform specific immigration officer actions under their authority to state and local police, according to ICE’s website.
“The 287(g) program allows ICE — through the delegation of specified immigration officer duties — to enhance collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws,” ICE’s site reads.
ICE says Camden Police Department entered into the agreement with them on April 29. No other law enforcement organization in Delaware or on Delmarva as a whole is listed in either the active participant or pending participant lists on the ICE website.
ICE’s participant list labeled Camden Police Department’s support type as a “Task Force Model.” According to ICE, this specific 287(g) model allows local police to enforce limited immigration authority while conducting routine police enforcement duties.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on January 20, 2025, requiring ICE to authorize state and local police under 287(g) to the maximum extent permitted by law. On January 29, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings issued “Know Your Rights” guidance on immigration.
“We believe in the rule of law, and that means defending the Constitution, ensuring public safety, and respecting the humanity of all Delaware residents,” Jennings said. “My focus remains tackling violent crime, gang violence, and gun trafficking—and make no mistake, people who commit crimes and endanger our community will be arrested and deported, full stop. But it does not advance public safety to terrify families, to make witnesses think twice about reporting crime, or to undermine public trust in law enforcement.”
Immigration, Jennings said, was a federal prerogative. The Attorney General acknowledged, however, the Immigration and Naturalization Act allowed for local law enforcement to enter formal agreements with ICE to receive training and supervision. No Delaware agency had entered into an agreement at the time.
On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Delaware condemned Camden’s apparent decision to enter the 287(g) partnership, calling on state legislators to ban municipalities from entering the agreements.
“Immigrants are a vital part of our communities, and these agreements only serve to directly support the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans,” said Mike Brickner, executive director, ACLU of Delaware. “287(g) agreements undermine public safety by pitting local law enforcement against immigrant communities, meaning that victims of crime, witnesses, and others will be afraid to come forward and cooperate with police. These agreements have shown to also lead to race profiling, where people of color experience more problems with law enforcement, regardless of their own personal immigration status.”
Participation in the 287(g) program, requires local police to possess U.S. citizenship, complete and pass a background check, and have enforced laws and regulations within their jurisdictions, according to ICE’s website. Eligible officers for the Task Force Model, which Camden reportedly entered, according to ICE, must also have at least two years of sworn law enforcement experience.
517 law enforcement agencies across the country currently have active 287(g) agreements listed with ICE.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
