How to Turn Legal Citizens into Second-Class Citizens While Unleashing Violent Criminals

Political and legal attacks on 287(g) program jeopardize public safety and ballot integrity.

Blue state governors, mayors, and lawmakers are creating new avenues for illegal aliens to commit violent crimes while disfiguring the electoral process. 

The goal is to turn legal citizens into second-class citizens who are less safe and increasingly disenfranchised. This way the proponents of open borders can acquire and permanently sustain political power. Their preferred technique is straightforward: block and then dismantle the most effective immigration law enforcement program now operating. 

That would be 287(g) program named for a key provision of the 1996 Immigration and Nationality Act that 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. The benefits of enabling local law enforcement to augment the limited resources of federal agents are undeniable. ICE's "Worst of the Worst" website provides insight how 287(g) has enhanced law enforcement. So has the Restoration News IllegalAliensCrimes.com site, which tracks the crimes illegal aliens have committed on a state-by-state basis. 

But Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), among others, is now leading the charge against 287(g) on behalf of violent criminals who have entered the US illegally. In one of her first moves after taking office in January, Spanberger terminated the 287(g) agreement between the Virginia State Police and ICE. When announcing her decision, Spanberger made no mention of the legal Virginia residents who have been victimized by illegal aliens. 

We've documented many of those criminals at IllegalAlienCrimes.com—arrests made while 287(g) was still in place in Virginia. 

Unfortunately, Spanberger is no outlier. In March, New Jersey became the 10th state to enact a law prohibiting local officials from partnering with ICE. The rest are blue states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. 

This assault against 287(g) fits into a larger strategy that involves sanctuary policies designed to shield illegal aliens. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), for instance, have enshrined sanctuary policies at the local and state level. Chicago has the "Welcoming City Ordinance" folded on top of the Illinois "Trust Act" for the purpose of delivering a one-two punch against effective law enforcement. 

Team Trump Pushes Back 

But legal citizens still have a champion and a representative in President Donald Trump. Since retaking office in January 2025, his administration has filed 27 lawsuits against more than 20 cities, counties and states. The Trump team is also pursuing litigation against several jurisdictions in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, after those jurisdictions sought to impose limits on the actions of ICE. 

Lt. Col Allen West, a former Republican member of Congress who now heads up the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU), told Restoration News in an interview that the Trump administration is on solid legal ground. He also envisions a scenario where disputes over illegal alien sanctuaries could head to the U.S. Supreme Court. The federal government, he explained, is doing what is right to enforce immigration policy under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, Article 6, Section 2.

The ACRU is a nonprofit litigation group established for the purpose of upholding the natural rights secured through the U.S. Constitution. ACRU members also work to serve as a counterbalance to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a far-left litigation group that supports open borders. While the ACRU is working to enforce immigration law with an eye toward reducing violent crime, the ACLU is making every effort to expand the rights of illegal aliens. 

The self-described civil liberties group has been a persistent opponent of 287(g) partnerships. The fact that so many of its state affiliates have filed lawsuits seeking to overturn these agreements speaks to the program's effectiveness. An important test case for the ACLU's legal strategy currently sits before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. That's where local sheriffs in Brown, Marathon, Kenosha, Walworth, and Sauk Counties are fighting against the ACLU to preserve the program. 

Illegal Aliens Poised to Vote 

But there's more at stake with the litigation over 287(g) than crime on the street—there's also the matter of ballot integrity. 

Just a few months after New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) terminated her state's 287(g) agreement, she was forced to admit that roughly 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote in her state. But instead of working to ensure that illegal aliens do not cancel out the votes of legitimate citizens, Sherrill has resisted the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to acquire New Jersey voter roll data. So not only are legal citizens less safe in New Jersey without 287(g), but they are also in danger of becoming disenfranchised at the ballot box. 

The same is true across the country. 

At the federal level, the Trump administration is doing its part. DHS just announced that charges have been brought against four noncitizens in New Jersey who allegedly cast illegal votes. ICE has also released statistics highlighting the progress that has been made under 287(g) and other law enforcement efforts. These statistics show that since late 2025 74,082 noncitizens have been arrested including 12,025 citizens convicted of an aggravated felony. The local, state, and federal partnerships under 287(g) are a big part of the success here. And that's precisely why blue state operatives and open border litigants are making every effort to unwind these same partnerships. 

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