Local police in Appalachian Mid‑South increased role in ICE arrests as federal arrests surged

Federal data obtained and analyzed by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting with the Appalachia + Mid‑South Newsroom show that local and state police in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia have increased the number of arrests that lead to ICE custody in 2026. The increase happens alongside a national rise in immigration arrests that reached about 49,000 in July 2026.

Monthly totals and shares reported to KyCIR indicate local agencies accounted for record highs in some states. In Kentucky, local law enforcement made up 18% of monthly ICE arrests in June 2026, the highest share recorded under the current administration. In Tennessee, state and local agencies composed 30% of reported ICE arrests in May 2026, also a record. In West Virginia, most ICE‑related arrests since October 2025 were actions by state or local law enforcement.

Operation Country Roads and other local operations

In January 2026, West Virginia saw a concentrated enforcement effort called Operation Country Roads. More than a dozen local agencies partnered with federal agents for a two‑week crackdown that resulted in about 650 arrests. That month local agencies were responsible for 87% of the state's ICE arrests. These coordinated operations illustrate how local partnerships can drive large monthly arrest totals.

The review found more law enforcement agencies in the three states signed 287(g) agreements in the first nine months of 2026 than in all of 2025. The counts reported by ICE: Tennessee 144 agreements, Kentucky 59 agreements, West Virginia 39 agreements. Tennessee enacted a requirement that local sheriffs participate. West Virginia's governor announced state police, National Guard and corrections department participation. Kentucky's legislature did not pass a mandate requiring participation.

The federal government and some state governments have offered financial incentives tied to 287(g) participation. The program deputizes local officers and sheriffs to perform immigration enforcement functions on behalf of ICE. The data and public statements in the reporting link the program's expansion and incentives to the rising role of local agencies in immigration arrests.

Leaders of the Deportation Data Project cautioned that public data may undercount 287(g) arrests. Scholars who studied earlier waves of 287(g) expansion described differences in who was approved to become deputized and how officers handled community interactions. The reporting quotes an academic who said the current enforcement culture has shifted toward a more aggressive use of local authorities, and that professional standards applied in earlier periods have weakened.

The data show the region is a significant contributor to national immigration enforcement efforts when local agencies partner with federal authorities. Rising 287(g) signups and concentrated local operations can rapidly increase ICE arrest totals at the state and local level. Policymakers, sheriffs and city police departments in the region face choices about whether to expand collaboration, accept incentives, or limit local involvement in federal immigration enforcement.