Allen West: This is the Best Program for Deporting Illegal Aliens (INTERVIEW)

Wisconsin is a potential bellwether for the future of federal and state cooperative efforts to stop sanctuary cities.

Violent encounters that put federal immigration enforcement agents and civilians at risk would be less frequent if more local officials took advantage of a little-known but highly effective law enforcement program, American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU) executive director Lt. Col Allen West told Restoration News in an exclusive interview. 

The program—called 287(g) after a key provision of the 1996 Immigration and Nationality Act—authorizes state and local agencies to cooperate with federal officials to detain illegal aliens until they're transferred into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. 

Cities and counties that enter into the agreement effectively expand ICE's reach without requiring the agency to conduct local operations directly. That makes it a crucial factor in achieving President Trump's goal of deporting huge numbers of illegal aliens, according to West, a combat veteran and former member of Congress.

He views the 287(g) program as a strong and vital counterbalance to leftist "sanctuary [city] policies" that block local police cooperation with ICE.

To expand the program's reach, ACRU launched a "Defender Initiative" program in 2025 that so far has granted 60 awards to local law enforcement participating in the program across 37 states.

But West has bigger plans. He wants to see the Trump administration apply legal pressure against sanctuary policies that prevent the 287(g) program from achieving its full potential.

Using the Supremacy Clause 

"There is a very big question about the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, Article 6, Section 2," West explained. "The federal government is doing what is right by the rule of law and for states that thumb their nose and say they are not going to cooperate, I think this is a case that should be at the highest court in the land."

West points to examples in Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, and Minnesota in which state officials explicitly ordered local law enforcement not to cooperate with ICE. 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed legislation in February that prohibited state and local law enforcement from deputizing officers for federal immigration enforcement—and terminated existing 287(g) agreements.

"The [Trump] administration needs to make this a huge sticking point," West said. "They need to be talking about some of the statistics we see in these states . . . that are declaring themselves sanctuaries." Since people entering the country illegally are violating federal immigration law, the proponents of sanctuary policies are "aiding and abetting criminal activity," West added,

"Of course," he added, "you also have individuals that are committing crimes on top of the fact that they're here illegally." 

West points out that elected state officials who have implemented and supported sanctuary policies are not immune from prosecution. He recommends that the Trump administration explore potential avenues for holding these officials accountable in court. 

The latest ICE figures show the agency has signed 2,126 Memorandums of Agreement for 287(g) programs covering 39 states and two U.S. territories. The federal-state partnerships include three distinct models: 

Wisconsin as a Bellwether for the Future of 287(g)

West believes that key swing states such as Wisconsin could provide "constitutional conservatives" with an opportunity to advance state and federal cooperation on immigration throughout the country. 

In Wisconsin alone, ICE identifies 23 counties operating 287(g) programs in which local officials make use of the jail enforcement and warrant service models. 

Almost all of those participating are rural, conservative counties. In contrast, Wisconsin's largest blue cities, including Madison and Milwaukee, are illegal alien sanctuaries—and that should frustrate voters, West says.

"We as constitutional conservatives should be owning this issue," West said. "We should keep it out there. We should articulate it in the very good, concise, simplistic terms that the American people understand and not be worried about the manipulative language that leftist pollsters use."

ACRU's Defender Initiative is showing conservatives how to fight back.

In 2026 alone, the organization has awarded Walworth County Sheriff Dave Gerber, Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb, and Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister just this year alone for what West says is their "leadership and dedication" to "preserving American citizens' rights to safety and security.

That stands in stark contrast to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a leftist group that backs open borders even at the cost of damaging the civil liberties of U.S. citizens.

In November 2025, the ACLU of Wisconsin attacked the Marathon County Sheriff's Office for participating in 287(g), claiming the program enables racial profiling and "unconstitutional policing." Now the group is suing the sheriff's departments in Marathon, Brown, Kenosha, Sauk, and Walworth Counties over the legality of using ICE detainer requests to hold inmates past their release dates.

But for the Marxist Left, the issue goes far beyond immigration, West argues.

"You want to talk about a threat to democracy and undermining our representative democracy. They want to count these people in the [2030] census. That's why you see misappropriations, especially in a place like California, because they're counting these illegals to try to keep this congressional representation. You also [see] several jurisdictions where they're trying to allow legals to vote in local elections. For them this is not about providing safety and security, which is a preeminent issue that should be brought out."

Huge Opening for the American People to Expand 287(g)

In January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling on ICE to pull in as many state and local law enforcement agencies as possible into the 287(g) program. But for this effort to achieve its maximum potential state officials need to take initiative. Some states including Georgia and Florida have passed or considering legislation that would require their law enforcement agencies to seek memorandums of agreement with ICE that leading new 287(g) programs. This is where average citizens concerned about their safety can take action. They can call on their elected officials and their local sheriffs departments and police departments to pursue these memorandums. 

Any questions about initiating a new 287g program could be sent to: [email protected]. Americans can encourage their elected representatives to make use of this email. 

Additional information about the ACRU's "Defender Initiative" and its battle against illegal immigration can be found here. The site includes a number of action items citizens can take advantage of to help in ACRU's efforts. 

MORE HEADLINES FROM RESTORATION NEWS:

     ILLEGAL ALIENS: Democrats’ Reckless Immigration Policies Led to State Trooper’s Death

     INTERVIEW: Patrick Byrne Exposes Deep State Operations and Foreign Election Interference

     ELECTRICITY: The Hidden Rule Change That Could Spike Your Energy Bills—How Trump Can Stop It

     COMMENTARY: Gen Z’s Socialist Swing Cannot Be Ignored