Granite Shoals, Bertram police join federal immigration enforcement program
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The Granite Shoals and Bertram police departments recently entered into partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security that will allow select officers to carry out limited immigration enforcement duties alongside their regular policing responsibilities.
The agreements place both departments in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) task force model. According to ICE, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, the program acts as “a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties.”
Participating officers must complete 40 hours of ICE-funded training and in turn their departments gain access to federal resources through the agreement.
Granite Shoals City Council voted unanimously to enter into a 287(g) task force model agreement with DHS during its regular meeting on April 28.
Granite Shoals Police Chief John Ortis said his department will not conduct immigration-related operations during routine traffic stops or carry out door-to-door enforcement. Instead, officers would assist in cases involving warrants or ICE operations targeting specific individuals.
“The primary reason for this is not to interfere with the federal government enforcement,” Ortis told DailyTrib. “We’re not here to break up families. We are not going to do that.”
Granite Shoals Mayor Ron Munos said the agreement formalizes coordination that already exists between local police and federal immigration officials.
“Nothing different from what we’re already doing,” Munos told DailyTrib. “We coordinate with ICE when needed, and stay within our bounds.”
Bertram Police Chief Jason Brantley described the agreement as a way to streamline cooperation with ICE while giving smaller departments access to additional resources.
“For me it’s kind of simple, my department is pretty sparsely funded,” Brantley told DailyTrib. “I’m looking for actual criminals, and cartels. It’s my way of trying to protect the city.”
Brantley was referring to the potential financial assistance that comes with participation in the 287(g) program. According to ICE, partner agencies can receive $7,500 in equipment per trained officer, $100,000 for new vehicles, salary and benefits reimbursements for trained officers, and overtime funds for up to 25 percent of a trained officer’s salary.
Leadership from the Marble Falls Police Department and the Burnet Police Department told DailyTrib that they do not plan to enter into similar agreements at this time and will continue coordinating with the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office on immigration detainers.
“The Marble Falls Police Department is not currently participating in a 287(g) Task Force agreement based on operational priorities, staffing capacity, and resource allocation,” Marble Falls Assistant Chief Trisha Ratliff. “This agency continues to follow established probable cause-based arrest procedures for observed and reported offenses, with responsibility for any immigration detainers resting with the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office following booking, as it always has.”
“I have not yet completed a full evaluation of the program’s operational, legal, or financial implications,” Burnet Police Chief Tony Hefferin said. “While this program may be considered in the future, no decisions have been made at this time. As we have always done, we will continue to coordinate with local, state, and federal partners whenever we are made aware of a potential violation of law, consistent with applicable state and federal requirements.”
The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office participates in a 287(g) agreement through the Warrant Service Officer Program, not the task force model, which allows deputies to “serve and execute administrative warrants on aliens in their agency’s jail,” according to ICE.
The Llano County Sheriff’s Office does not currently participate in any 287(g) agreements.
The 287(g) task force model was discontinued in 2012, but then revived through an executive order in January 2025.