Immigration

State and local role in immigration enforcement

86 public statements from 2026 candidates · 4 related bills

§1The range of views

Why this matters: It decides how much local police take part in deportations, which affects how many people federal officers can remove and relations between police and immigrant communities.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether state and local police and jails should help federal immigration officers, such as by holding people in jail for federal pickup or signing 287(g) agreements to take on some immigration duties.1

  1. Require full cooperation, with penalties for places that limit it
  2. Let each state, county or city decide
  3. Cooperate only in cases involving people convicted of serious crimes
  4. Bar police and jails from helping without a judge's warrant

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Require full cooperation, with penalties for places that limit it (20)

  • Peter Sundin Soulé CA-16
    His campaign website says he would withhold federal money from cities with sanctuary policies that prevent the deportation of people here illegally who have committed crimes.2
  • Jenny Rae Le Roux CA-47
    Her campaign website says she opposes federal funding for sanctuary cities and states.3
  • Lauren Boebert CO-4
    Her campaign's Contract with Colorado calls for putting a stop to sanctuary cities, and a campaign flyer on her website says a bill she introduced would bar funding for them.4,5
  • Christopher Mitchell CO-5
    His campaign website says he would introduce legislation to cut off funding for sanctuary cities.6
  • Joseph "Dr. Joe" Arminio DE-AL
    His campaign website says he fully agrees with ending sanctuary cities and enacting serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of noncitizens who have committed crimes.7
  • Carlos A. Gimenez FL-28
    His official House website says he opposes local government officials stopping law enforcement from enforcing federal laws, and that sanctuary cities have no place in the country.8
  • James "Jim" Kingston GA-1
    His campaign website says he supports ending sanctuary cities.9
  • Houston Gaines GA-10
    His campaign website says his state legislation ensured total cooperation with ICE and that he worked to put a stop to sanctuary policies in Georgia.10,11
  • Eric Jenkins KS-3
    His campaign website says he would defund cities that obstruct federal immigration enforcement.12
  • Julia Letlow LA Senate
    Her campaign website says she would defund sanctuary cities.13
  • Gordon Heslop LA-4
    His campaign website lists banning and defunding sanctuary cities among its goals.14
  • Robert B. Charles ME Governor
    His crime plan says he would order all state agencies to cooperate fully with federal immigration enforcement and bar cities and towns from adopting sanctuary policies, with those that refuse losing state funding.15
  • Michelle Fischbach MN-7
    The issues page says she opposes efforts to promote what it calls sanctuary cities, and the record page lists co-sponsoring a bill to cut federal funding to such cities.16,17
  • Bob Onder MO-3
    His campaign website says that in the Missouri House he sponsored HB1549, passed in 2008, which it says banned sanctuary cities, targeted public employers and contractors that hire people in the country illegally, and ended catch-and-release.18
  • Rick Brattin MO-5
    His campaign website says that in the Missouri legislature he fought to ban sanctuary cities.19
  • Tim Moore NC-14
    His campaign website lists, among results under his leadership in the state legislature, that North Carolina outlawed sanctuary cities.20
  • Justin Murphy NJ Senate
    His campaign website says federal aid should be withheld from sanctuary cities and states, and that he supports letting state and local police take part in immigration enforcement under Section 287(g).21,22
  • Marsha Blackburn TN Governor
    Her campaign website says she will make sure sanctuary cities never have a home in Tennessee and will push to penalize elected officials who refuse to follow federal law.23
  • Tom Tiffany WI Governor
    His campaign website says he would ban sanctuary policies statewide and require local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.24
  • Rebecca Bextel WY Governor
    Her campaign website says she would bar state agencies from adopting sanctuary policies or obstructing cooperation with federal immigration authorities and would set protocols for cooperating with ICE.25,26

Let each state, county or city decide (3)

  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website says she would protect San Francisco's sanctuary city laws from federal interference.27
  • Valerie P. Foushee NC-4
    Her campaign website says that, as a state senator, she voted to make sure local law enforcement agencies could decide for themselves whether to work with ICE.28
  • Kasie Whitener SC Senate
    Her campaign blog says that until Congress rewrites immigration law, each community should do what is best for itself, even if that means not cooperating with federal enforcement tactics.29

Statements that don't match one option (63)

  • Barry Moore AL Senate
    His campaign website says elected officials in sanctuary cities who obstruct federal immigration enforcement should be arrested and prosecuted.30
  • Andrew Sneed AL-5
    His campaign website supports legislation to counter the executive order penalizing sanctuary jurisdictions.31
  • Tommy Tuberville AL Governor
    His campaign website says that as governor he would work with President Trump to deport immigrants in the country illegally who have committed crimes.32
  • French Hill AR-2
    His campaign website says he backed the Secure the Border Act and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act.33
  • Robb Tucker CA-3
    His campaign website calls for an immediate end to sanctuary policies that block cooperation on serious criminal offenders.34
  • Shane Lewis CA-18
    His campaign website says the federal government should give financial and technical support to local governments that cooperate on immigration, give them more flexibility over enforcement priorities, and fast-track immigration cases for people that local governments and businesses recommend for good conduct.35
  • Scott Alan Meyers CA-30
    His campaign website says he opposes sanctuary policies, which it says undermine public safety.36
  • Manny Rutinel CO-8
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments his cosponsorship of Colorado SB25-276, which it says keeps Colorado law enforcement focused on public safety rather than supporting ICE.37
  • Victor Marx CO Governor
    His campaign website says he would repeal policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement for violent or repeat offenders, and require state and local police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities when someone suspected of being in the country illegally is charged with a crime.38
  • Phil Weiser CO Governor
    His campaign website says he would enforce state laws that keep the federal government from coercing state and local police into immigration enforcement and that bar selling government buildings for ICE detention centers.39
  • Greg Lopez CO Governor
    His campaign website says Colorado should fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement involving violent criminals, drug traffickers, gang members and others who threaten public safety.40
  • Michael "Dr. Mike" Katz DE Senate
    His campaign website says federal funding should be withheld from sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement.41
  • Sarah McBride DE-AL
    Her campaign website says she helped introduce the PROTECT Immigration Act to end the 287(g) program, under which state and local police partner with ICE.42
  • Angie Nixon FL Senate special
    Her campaign website says local police should not share license plate and location data with federal immigration authorities without a criminal warrant.43
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform calls for repealing a Jacksonville ordinance that it says criminalizes undocumented presence, and its bill tracker lists him as opposing that ordinance, which also requires cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and Florida's state immigration enforcement laws.44,45
  • Byron Donalds FL Governor
    His campaign website says state and local police should coordinate directly with federal authorities to deport noncitizens who commit crimes.46
  • David Jolly FL Governor
    His campaign website says local police should focus on public safety rather than deportation, and that state laws turning local police into deportation agents should be opposed.47
  • Frank J. Russo FL Governor
    His campaign website says he would strengthen partnerships between Florida law enforcement and federal agencies and prioritize state resources toward removing people who commit violent crimes, while supporting legal immigration, cracking down on worker exploitation and pressing Washington to fix the federal immigration system.48,49
  • Dean Ocean Abrams FL Governor
    His campaign website says he does not support blanket 287(g) agreements, supports cooperating with lawful federal requests to apprehend felons and violent offenders, and says Florida officers should not hold people past their release date without judicial process.50
  • Jonathan Chavez GA-13
    His platform says he supports cooperation between local jails and federal immigration authorities on criminal offenders, as Georgia law now requires, while keeping patrol officers focused on local crime.51
  • Rick Jackson GA Governor
    His campaign website says he would make Georgia the leading state in deporting immigrants here illegally who have committed crimes.52
  • Chris McGowan IA-4
    His campaign website criticizes officials in sanctuary cities for what it says is working to undermine ICE efforts, and says political officials must support ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations mission.53
  • Brad Little ID Governor
    His campaign website says Idaho is working with law enforcement and President Trump against drug cartels, and that the state's Operation No Return is removing immigrants here illegally who have committed crimes.54
  • Delia Ramirez IL-3
    Her campaign website lists among her Illinois House record co-sponsoring legislation to stop Illinois police from acting as a federal deportation force.55
  • Melissa L. Bean IL-8
    Her campaign website says local police should be able to order ICE or CBP to cease and desist, or arrest them, when they act outside their scope of authority.56
  • Darren Bailey IL Governor
    His campaign website says that as a state legislator he fought sanctuary state policies.57
  • Roger Marshall KS Senate
    His campaign website says he has worked with Kansas sheriffs to expand the state's participation in 287(g) agreements and to have the state insurance pool cover sheriffs who take part.58
  • Morgan McGarvey KY-3
    His campaign website says he opposes efforts to force local law enforcement to take over immigration enforcement from the federal government.59
  • "Clay" Higgins LA-3
    His campaign website's 2016 Issues page says he is 100% opposed to sanctuary cities, and that local law enforcement would begin arresting people here illegally once it is advised that ICE will pick them up.60
  • Blake Miguez LA-6
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments writing a Louisiana law that forces New Orleans to follow immigration law and quickly deport violent illegal immigrants.61,62
  • Lori Loureiro Trahan MA-3
    Her campaign website's 2018 Immigration Policy page, which appears only in its site map, says she will fight to protect sanctuary cities, which it says the administration was attacking.63
  • Michael Roger Minogue MA Governor
    His campaign website says he would prioritize removing violent criminals and drug dealers and end the state's sanctuary policies, while recognizing the contributions of immigrants.64
  • Andrea James MA Governor
    Her campaign website says she would end state cooperation with ICE, including all agreements for transferring people from state prisons into ICE custody.65,66
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments cosponsoring a Maryland package that would bar local law enforcement from immigration enforcement agreements with federal authorities and protect schools, libraries and state facilities from immigration enforcement.67
  • Anthony Hudson MI Governor
    His campaign website says he would remove sanctuary cities, deport immigrants in the country illegally and work with the federal government to enforce immigration laws.68
  • Michele Tafoya MN Senate
    Her campaign website says federal, state and local law enforcement should be able to work together to enforce immigration law, and that mayors, governors and attorneys general cannot veto federal law.69
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It says she wants to protect what it calls sanctuary cities and counties by preventing any president from withholding federal funding from them.70
  • Steven Young MN Governor
    His campaign website lists making Minnesota a sanctuary state as a key issue.71
  • Ron Eller MS-2
    His campaign website says states and local governments that label themselves sanctuaries should not be eligible for any federal funding or aid.72
  • Carl Boyanton MS-4
    His campaign website says sanctuary policies that defy federal law should end.73
  • Aaron Flint MT-1
    His campaign website says he opposes sanctuary city policies and supports local law enforcement working with ICE, including honoring lawful immigration detainers.74
  • Michael Whatley NC Senate
    His campaign website criticizes the veto of a state bill that would have required local sheriffs to cooperate with ICE.75
  • Mahesh (Max) Ganorkar NC-4
    His campaign website's law-and-order section lists sanctuary cities alongside unsafe no-go zones as places where people do not want to live or invest.76
  • Cinde Warmington NH Governor
    Her campaign website says she would say no to an ICE detention facility in Merrimack or anywhere else in the state.77
  • Kelly Ayotte NH Governor
    Her campaign website says that when local concerns about a planned Department of Homeland Security facility in Merrimack were not being acknowledged, she got the facility canceled.78
  • Damon Galdo NJ-1
    His campaign website says he supports strengthening cooperation between federal and local law enforcement on immigration, and it criticizes what it calls sanctuary policies.79,80
  • Ryan Michael Kelly NJ-3
    His campaign website says he supports sanctuary policies that stop local police from automatically serving as federal civil immigration officers.81
  • Larry E Marker NM Senate
    His campaign website says New Mexico policies that block cooperation with federal immigration authorities make it harder to remove dangerous offenders.82
  • Martin Zamora NM-3
    His campaign website lists cracking down on sanctuary policies, which it says protect noncitizens who commit crimes, and supporting cooperation with sheriffs and local police in border communities among its border priorities.83
  • Deb Haaland NM Governor
    Her campaign plans say she would support ending local cooperation agreements with ICE that go beyond keeping New Mexicans safe, and would bar state-funded health facilities from sharing patients' immigration information with federal enforcement agencies.84,85,86
  • David Flippo NV-2
    His campaign website says he would end sanctuary policies.87
  • Danielle Ford NV Governor
    Her campaign website says immigration enforcement is mainly a federal job, that the state should set clear policies on data sharing, warrants and subpoenas, and that local police should stay focused on serious crime.88,89
  • Bruce A. Blakeman NY Governor
    His campaign website says that as county executive he opposed sanctuary policies and worked with ICE to remove criminals from Nassau County's streets.90
  • Robert E Brooks Sr OK Governor
    His immigration plan says Oklahoma should cooperate with federal immigration authorities while focusing state resources on public safety and enforcing state law.91
  • Tina Kotek OR Governor
    Her campaign website says she would oppose ICE detention facilities in Oregon, keep license plate readers and cameras from being used for immigration enforcement, and has directed state agencies to uphold Oregon's sanctuary protections.92
  • Walid Hakim SC Governor
    His platform says the state should reject cooperation with what it calls abuses by ICE.93
  • Alan Wilson SC Governor
    His campaign website says he would enforce immigration law and back state and local efforts to support federal immigration authorities.94
  • Larry Rhoden SD Governor
    His campaign website lists banning sanctuary cities and signing agreements with ICE for the Highway Patrol and Department of Corrections among his accomplishments.95
  • Jerri Green TN Governor
    Her platform says she would sign an executive order on her first day ending state and local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, and would sign another barring ICE from state buildings.96
  • Lauren Pinkston TN Governor
    Her campaign website opposes legislation forcing all local law enforcement to join ICE's 287(g) program, and says she will not coordinate with federal agencies that violate the Constitution.97
  • Dave Seeman TN Governor
    His campaign website says local resources should be used for local policing and calls for ending cooperation with ICE.98
  • Pat Dixon TX Governor
    His campaign website says immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility that Texas can cooperate with, but that he would refuse to take part if it meant harming the life, liberty or property of Texans.99
  • Dean Roy VT Governor
    His campaign website says the Vermont National Guard and other state agencies would never work with the federal government, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to harm Vermonters.100

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.