Three months into his second presidential term, Donald Trump appears well off pace to hit his promised record numbers of deportations. 

While the new administration’s tallies haven’t yet surpassed those of prior presidents, the Trump regime has indeed ramped up the lawlessness of its immigration enforcement, largely by skirting due process and sending people to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador. That country’s authoritarian president, Nayib Bukele, has eagerly declared that the doors of his penitentiary will be open to more immigrants and inmates sent from the United States—at American taxpayers’ expense. Most of those sent to El Salvador’s prison do not have criminal records, and one of the inmates, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was wrongfully deported and is married to a U.S. citizen. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered his return, but both Bukele and Trump have refused.

As much of the country focuses on Trump’s international authoritarian affairs, police across the United States are quietly lining up to help provide the manpower that Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needs to increase lagging deportation figures. 

To augment its roughly 6,000 ICE deportation agents—pending possibly supercharged Congressional funding—the Trump administration has enlisted the help of other federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Agency and Internal Revenue Service. But an even more significant expansion may be playing out at the county and municipal levels across the country.

Since late January, nearly 200 county, city, and state law enforcement agencies have signed what are known as 287(g) task force model agreements with ICE. These agencies operate in 23 states, with a whopping 137 in Florida.

So far, 14 agencies have signed on to the task force agreements in Texas, primarily rural county sheriff’s offices as well as Smith County, which is home to Tyler and more than 245,000 people in East Texas. The Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas National Guard have also signed task force agreements with ICE. 

The 287(g) task force program is being revived 13 years after the Obama administration terminated it amid controversies over racial profiling. The program allows local officers who’ve received federal training to “perform certain functions of an immigration officer,” as outlined in the agreement used by the Trump administration, including the power to: “interrogate any alien or person believed to be an alien as to his right to be or remain in the United States”; arrest without a warrant anyone the officer believes “is in the United States in violation of law and is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained”; execute warrants for immigration violations; and prepare immigration charging documents.

This form of ICE collaboration with local authorities is “really aggressive,” said Kristin Etter, director of policy and legal services at the Texas Immigration Law Council. “It’s literally officers in the streets stopping, detaining, questioning, interrogating, arresting—the task force model is a force multiplier of federal immigration agencies.”

There are two other kinds of 287(g) programs, which have persisted through the last few presidencies, but those models are limited to ICE-county cooperation within jails and have sparked far less concern.

The new 287(g) task forces have proliferated most rapidly in Florida: With Governor Ron DeSantis backing the program, every one of the 67 county sheriffs in the state has signed a task force agreement, in addition to municipal and state agencies.

Texas ranks second among states in task forces inked, at 14, though that’s a small fraction of the state’s 254 sheriffs and its galaxy of municipal and state police agencies. Among the Texas signatories is the sheriff of Kinney County, whose office has collaborated with paramilitary organizations and bought pepper ball and tear gas launcher rifles last year to potentially use against migrants.

Notably, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which has around 5,000 commissioned officers and leads the state’s border security efforts, has not signed a task force agreement. The agency did not respond to Observer questions sent via email. The governor’s office also did not respond to a request for comment.

In a March House committee hearing, Texas DPS Deputy Director of Law Enforcement Operations Jason Taylor seemed to caution against at least some aspects of 287(g) agreements: “If we’re taking troopers, special agents, Rangers off the line to process—then I think we’re diminishing some of the public safety aspects of our agency,” Taylor said.

The Texas National Guard (TNG), which has around 23,000 members, signed its 287(g) task force agreement with ICE on April 11. TNG soldiers have been regularly deployed to the border in Texas to deter migrants under Operation Lone Star and other mobilizations. Governor Greg Abbott signed an agreement earlier this year with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorizing TNG to enforce immigration law in tandem with the Border Patrol. That agreement is pursuant to a different federal statute than 287(g), which the Trump administration has misleadingly invoked to address a “mass influx” of migrants, and it differs in some ways from the 287(g) task forces.

TNG’s new 287(g) agreement suggests the Guard could enforce immigration law in parts of the state far from the border. In addition to participating in political projects like Operation Lone Star, TNG deploys in response to state emergencies including hurricanes and pandemics. The Texas Military Department did not respond to Observer emails and calls for this story.

Advocates are concerned about local agencies and soldiers getting into the business of immigration enforcement, which has been typically left to ICE and CBP. “There would be no buffers,” said Etter.

But whether Texas sheriffs will join the task force program en masse, like their Florida counterparts, remains to be seen.

Some cash-strapped counties may find the model burdensome, since ICE pays for training but not hours spent enforcing federal law. “If you’re a really small county sheriff’s office, and there’s just maybe two or three of you, it may be impractical to run that program,” said Thomas Kerss, the executive director of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas.

Even midsize counties may find the program impractical. “We are not hesitant to participate,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Giles of Potter County, which is home to Amarillo and does not have a task force agreement. “We do have real-world concerns or considerations about staffing. We don’t have the staff to dedicate to a full-time ICE task force.”

The two largest counties with Republican sheriffs, Tarrant and Collin in fast-growing North Texas, have also not inked agreements. 

But sheriffs’ reluctance may not matter soon. Legislation has passed the Texas Senate and is pending in the House that, in its current form, would compel sheriffs of counties with 100,000 residents to “request, and as offered” sign a 287(g) deal with ICE or “an agreement under a similar federal program.” (More than 80 percent of Texans live in counties with a population of at least 100,000 residents.)

The legislation presently does not specify what kind of 287(g) agreement sheriffs must apply for or accept, nor does it clarify what other similar agreements could substitute for 287(g).

“What is a similar federal program to 287(g)? That’s up to the Trump administration, and that’s up to Stephen Miller—and then our local sheriffs will be bound by that,” Etter said. “It’s really left up to the imagination of the federal government.”

The Texas Civil Rights Project has also raised concerns about the legislation. The organization’s director of policy and advocacy, David Sánchez, called it a “reckless attempt to turn sheriffs into federal agents” in a news release.

“This bill undermines local control, worsens racial profiling, and wastes resources we need to keep our communities safe,” Sánchez said. “It does not make Texas safer—it makes it more fearful.”

ICE did not respond to questions for this story. 

For now, the 287(g) task force agreements that are already signed are largely just paper, since required federal training has not been made widely available. “We’re surprised it hasn’t happened yet,” said Goliad County Sheriff’s Deputy Caleb Breshears, adding that his department—which signed a task force agreement in February—had been asking the feds about it in early April. “We were told that they’re still working on it.”

Breshears said he expected the training to be a 40-hour online program. An ICE fact sheet says the task force training will be “provided virtually,” and local media in Florida have also reported the training would be 40 hours and online.

Governor Abbott has also issued an executive order ordering “all appropriate state agencies to assist federal actors working under the direction of the Trump Administration with carrying out functions under federal immigration laws,” though the extent of the order’s impact remains murky.

If the Legislature passes compulsory ICE cooperation and Abbott marshals the whole state apparatus to back Trump’s deportation agenda, Etter said, “We literally then end up living in a state that is basically just a giant ICE army.”

The post Texas Police Are Slowly Joining What Could Be a ‘Giant ICE Army’ appeared first on The Texas Observer.

By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ doctor has recounted the pontiff’s final moments in a pair of newspaper interviews, saying the pontiff had his eyes open and was breathing with oxygen, but unresponsive after being stricken by illness early Monday morning. “He died without suffering, at home,” the doctor said.

Dr. Sergio Alfieri coordinated Francis’ five-week hospital treatment for double pneumonia and continued to oversee the pope’s treatment after the pontiff returned to the Vatican on March 23 for two months of rest to allow a full recovery.

Alfieri was alerted at 5:30 a.m. Monday by Francis’ health care assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, that Francis had been stricken and needed to be taken to the hospital. The doctor told the Milan daily Corriere della Sera that he arrived 20 minutes later.

“I went into his room, and he had his eyes open. I noted that he did not have respiratory issues, so I tried to call him but he did not respond,’’ Alfieri was quoted by Corriere as saying, adding that his lungs were clear and he was receiving supplemental oxygen. “He also did not respond to stimuli, even painful ones. In that moment I understood there was nothing more to do. He was in a coma.’’

Alfieri said it was too risky moving Francis back to the Gemelli hospital, where he was treated for a complex respiratory infection that nearly killed him twice.

Two hours after falling ill, the pope died, having suffered a stroke.

“He died without suffering, at home,″ Alfieri told the Rome daily La Repubblica.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrived and said the rosary over the body, accompanied by the papal household staff, Alfieri told Corriere. “I gave him a caress, as a farewell,’’ the doctor said.

Pope Francis lies in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Vatican News has reported that the pope managed a gesture of farewell to Strappetti after falling ill.

Alfieri became the pope’s surgeon when he needed treatment for diverticulitis in 2021. Alfieri tried to get him on a diet after the surgery.

“He had a big sweet-tooth, and sometimes would go to the kitchen at the Santa Marta hotel for a midnight snack. He put on (nearly 30 pounds) too many. At times I came off as too rigorous, because he told me, ‘Remember to live with irony.’ “

After the pope suffered several severe respiratory crises in the hospital that required decisive treatment, the surgeon said, “We knew he wouldn’t return to his former condition, and that the infection had left another scar on his lungs.”

Still, ”he improved with physical therapy. I saw him on Saturday, and I found him in good shape. I didn’t think it would be the last meeting,” Alfieri told la Repubblica.

Though Francis was ordered to rest and avoid crowds for two months to recover, Alfieri expressed understanding for the pope’s desire to return to work. “Going back to work was part of his treatment, and he never exposed himself to dangers,″ Alfieri told Corriere.

Francis couldn’t resist appearing in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, which culminated with a long drive through the Easter crowd of 50,000 on the pope mobile, with several stops to bless children. He also insisted on inviting health care workers from the Gemelli hospital to the Vatican before Easter, even though the doctor suggested they wait until the end of the two-month convalescence in June.

“I have the clear sensation now that there were a series of things he felt he had to do before dying,″ Alfieri told Corriere. ”We knew he wanted to return home to be pope until the last instant, and he didn’t disappoint us.”

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer

U.S. applications for jobless benefits rose modestly last week as business continue to retain workers despite fears of a possible economic downturn.

Jobless claim applications inched up by 6,000 to 222,000 for the week ending April 19, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s just barely more than the 220,000 new applications analysts forecast.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs, and have mostly stayed in a healthy range between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years.

Even though President Donald Trump has paused or pulled back on many of his tariff threats, concerns remain about a global economic slowdown that could upend what has been an historically resilient labor market.

Early Thursday, the head of the International Monetary Fund urged countries to move “swiftly’’ to resolve trade disputes that threaten global economic growth.

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said the unpredictability of Trump’s aggressive campaign of taxes on foreign imports is causing companies to delay investments and consumers to pull back spending. Georgieva’s comments came two days after the IMF downgraded the outlook for world economic growth this year.

Like his pledge to institute tariffs, Trump’s promise to drastically downsize the federal government workforce has occupied much of the early weeks of his presidency and is still in motion.

It’s not clear when the job cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency — or “DOGE,” spearheaded by Elon Musk — will surface in the weekly layoffs data. However, the federal government staff reductions are already being felt, even outside of the Washington, D.C. area.

Federal agencies that have either announced layoffs or are planning cuts include the Department of Health and Human Services, IRS, Small Business Administration, Veterans Affairs and Department of Education.

Despite showing some signs of weakening during the past year, the labor market remains healthy with plenty of job openings and relatively few layoffs.

Earlier this month, the government reported that U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 228,000 jobs in March. While the unemployment rate inched up to 4.2%, that’s still a healthy figure by historical standards.

Some high-profile companies have announced job cuts already this year, including Workday, Dow, CNN, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and Facebook parent company Meta.

Thursday’s report also showed that the four-week average of applications, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility ticked down by 750 to 220,250.

The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of April 12 declined by 37,000 to 1.84 million.

By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July. The strikes took place just as peace efforts are coming to a head.