The Greene County Sheriff's Office is now part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that empowers local law enforcement to carry out immigration enforcement actions. GCSO entered into an agreement to enroll in ICE's 287(g) Task Force Model program on Sept. 24.
Participation in the program means certain law enforcement officers will receive online training and, after an examination, be authorized to perform certain functions of a federal immigration officer.
GCSO Public Information Office Jonah Beadles told the News-Leader via email that participation in the program will enhance public safety in the county by strengthening the department's ability to identify and process removable individuals with pending or active criminal charges,
supports removal of undocumented immigrants and expands access to ICE resources.
"This program will ensure that deputies who encounter undocumented immigrants spend as little time possible tied up roadside or on a call awaiting ICE agents. Deputies will have discretion, depending on circumstances, whether to place a detainer on a non-criminal offender," Beadles said via email. "The GCSO will not be conducting immigration "roundups;" the purpose is to equip deputies with yet another tool to help them in their daily duties."
The participation in the program comes just more than a month after former long-time Sheriff Jim Arnott resigned to take on a U.S. Marshal role and Interim Sheriff Jason Johnson took over. Johnson will be on the Nov. 3 ballot unopposed to serve the rest of Arnott's term.
The agreement executed with ICE was not available on ICE's database as of the morning of Friday, Oct. 2, and Beadles did not provide it when requested. The News-Leader's request for the record under the state's Sunshine Law is still pending.
Agreements with other local agencies outline that participating personnel will have the authority to interrogate any undocumented immigrant or person believed to be an undocumented immigrant about their right to be or remain in the U.S.; arrest without a warrant anyone believed to be in the U.S. in violation of the law and likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained; and the power to issue immigration detainers and take and maintain custody of those arrested pursuant to immigration laws, among others.
While ICE detainees have been housed at the Greene County Jail for nearly two years, it has been through an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service, not through the ICE program directly. The GCSO has faced criticism and opposition to its collaboration with ICE prior to its participation in the 287(g) program from community groups such as the Immigrant Justice Collaborative.
Collaboration with ICE continues to grow statewide
GCSO is only one of dozens of local sheriff's and police departments to join the 287(g) program. The program operates under four different models: jail enforcement, warrant service officer, tribal task force, and task force, the model for GCSO and most other agencies in Missouri. Statewide agencies, too, such as the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Corrections, have agreements under the 287(g) program.
Since President Donald Trump took office, 287(g) partnerships have increased nationwide. In Missouri, 119 agencies have signed onto the program just in 2026 per ICE data current as of Sept. 30. The number of agencies participating in the ICE program in Missouri has more than doubled since late March when the News-Leader last reported on the program.
Agencies participating in the task force model program could receive certain reimbursements. Those include $7,500 for equipment per trained officer, $100,000 for new vehicles, salary and benefits reimbursements per trained officer and overtime funds, according to an ICE brochure.
The Christian County Sheriff's Office has been among the earliest Missouri participants in the program, having entered into an agreement under the task force model in July 2025. According to records obtained by the News-Leader under the state's Sunshine Law, CCSO received $220,000 from ICE in September 2025: $7,500 equipment reimbursement for 16 officers and the $100,000 for new vehicles. Since these one-time stipends were paid, the office has also received nearly $4,000 in work hour reimbursements. Additionally, records show the office receiving quarterly IT and equipment incentives, having received $240,000, split equally between IT and equipment, in January and another $210,000 in July.
The News-Leader also obtained 287(g) reimbursement records from the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, which received $212,500 in August after signing up in December 2025. Reeds Spring Police Department received $122,500, Mountain Grove Police Department has received $855, and Ava Police Department has received nearly $2,500. However, most agencies in the region the News-Leader requested records from had not received any payments from ICE. The Branson Police Department, which signed on to 287(g) earlier this year despite strong public opposition, had also not received any payments as of early August.
Beadles did not mention financial reimbursements directly, but the statement did note that the program will provide "opportunities for additional federal support that can directly benefit our equipment needs and operational capabilities."
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Greene County Sheriff's Office joins ICE's deputization program
