Galveston County commissioners have approved more than $2.4 million in federal funding for local immigration enforcement operations, adding to the county’s growing participation in a program that allows local law enforcement officers to assist federal immigration authorities.
The commissioners voted Monday to accept $2,355,000 for the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office and another $60,000 for the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Both appropriations support the agencies’ participation in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) Task Force program.
County Judge Mark Henry and three commissioners approved the funding as part of the court’s consent agenda without discussion, according to the Galveston County Daily News. Commissioner Robin Armstrong was absent.
The funding will help cover information technology and equipment expenses associated with the agencies’ immigration enforcement operations.
The latest appropriations follow another $1,125,000 in federal 287(g) funding approved for the sheriff’s office on September 14, bringing the combined amount of those two approvals to $3.54 million.
The 287(g) program allows participating state and local law enforcement officers to carry out certain federal immigration enforcement responsibilities under ICE supervision.
Under the Task Force Model, officers who complete federal training can exercise limited immigration enforcement authority while performing their regular law enforcement duties. ICE also operates separate programs allowing participating agencies to identify individuals subject to removal while in custody or execute immigration warrants.
Galveston County has expanded its participation in the program during President Donald Trump’s second term. In addition to the sheriff’s office, several constable precincts and municipal police departments have entered into agreements with federal immigration authorities.
In November 2025, Sheriff Jimmy Fullen reported that 28 deputies had completed the required 40-hour training course, with another 30 undergoing training. At the time, the sheriff’s office reported transferring 648 individuals to ICE custody during the year, while another 653 had been held on immigration detainers.
Additionally, more than 500 individuals have been arrested in cases involving immigration detainers in Galveston County since November.
Participation in the program has increased nationwide. ICE reported 2,698 active 287(g) agreements across 38 states and two U.S. territories as of October 21, 2026, compared with 135 agreements nationwide at the end of 2024.
Texas lawmakers also expanded requirements for local participation through Senate Bill 8, which took effect in January. The law requires sheriffs in counties operating jails or contracting with private jail operators to seek and enter agreements with federal immigration authorities by December 1, 2026.
The law additionally established a state grant program to cover certain expenses associated with participation that are not reimbursed by the federal government.
The increased cooperation in Galveston County comes as neighboring Houston has faced repeated disputes over its own relationship with federal immigration authorities.
In April, Houston City Council voted to restrict certain police interactions with ICE, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to threaten more than $110 million in state public safety funding. The council later amended the ordinance following negotiations with state officials, and the city subsequently announced that the revised policy satisfied state grant requirements.
Earlier this month, Houston also withdrew an application for up to $150 million in federal public safety funding through the Department of Justice’s Model Cities Initiative. City officials cited a prematurely submitted application and uncertainty over the program’s conditions, including its immigration enforcement requirements.
Houston police have continued cooperating with federal immigration officials under the revised ordinance. An HPD report covering April through June documented 103 encounters involving individuals with civil immigration warrants, 19 of whom were ultimately taken into ICE custody.
