ICE Will Fund Liability Insurance for Local Cops

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is pitching a plan to subsidize liability insurance for state and local police officers who are trained and deputized to enforce federal immigration law, shielding them from personal financial exposure if they are accused of on-duty misconduct.

The agency laid out the plan in a planning document published Friday, according to the Associated Press, which first reported the proposal.

Under it, officers would buy insurance covering up to $500,000 in personal liability — money that typically pays legal fees, settlements and judgments — and be reimbursed up to $250 a year, roughly what the coverage is expected to cost.

How the Plan Would Work

The document tells industry officials ICE is considering hiring a contractor to provide outreach, training and communications support for its 287(g) partnerships with local departments, named for a section of a 1996 immigration law. That contractor would hire the insurance vendor and process the reimbursements.

ICE asked for industry feedback by Thursday. The launch timeline and the estimated cost are unclear, and the agency had no immediate comment on the plan.

Why Local Cops Want It

Local officers doing federal immigration work have raised concerns about civil liability from claims alleging excessive use of force, wrongful arrest and illegal search and seizure — because the insurance that covers their ordinary police work may not apply.

Pennsylvania's risk pool recently made clear it would exclude "proactive immigration enforcement activities" from coverage, forcing several participating counties to look elsewhere. Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said he found coverage for his 13 participating deputies at $20,000 a year in premiums.

"I want to make sure the guys are additionally covered, so we had to spend the money," Slupe said, adding that federal funding would cover the cost.

Federal officers generally have legal immunities and a government-funded defense when they are sued. Those protections do not always reach local officers.