PARKERSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Governor Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday that three West Virginia law enforcement agencies have signed agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to participate in the federal 287(g) Program.
The West Virginia National Guard, the West Virginia State Police, and the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation will now be able to perform certain immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight.
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“The Biden administration’s border policies allowed millions of people to unlawfully enter our country as massive amounts of deadly fentanyl flowed across the southern border and into West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “We are proud to partner with ICE to crack down on illegal immigration, deport violent criminals, and safeguard West Virginia.”
The National Guard and State Police will operate under the Task Force Model, which grants authority to question and arrest individuals for immigration violations, serve and execute warrants, take custody of certain detainees, and prepare immigration charging documents, among other duties.
The Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation will work under the Warrant Service Officer Model, focusing on serving immigration warrants on inmates at the time of release to transfer them to ICE custody for removal.
“This level of coordination between West Virginia’s law enforcement and ICE will significantly speed up the process by which we arrest, detain, and deport illegal aliens,” Morrisey said.
Only officers who are nominated, trained, certified, and authorized will be permitted to carry out immigration enforcement duties, which will remain under ICE supervision.
Training will cover the scope of authority, immigration law, use-of-force policies, civil rights protections, detention procedures, liability issues, and federal notification requirements.
Morrisey also reported that West Virginia currently has 88 illegal aliens in custody.
As of 9 a.m. on August 13, 2025, 13 are serving sentences in state prisons after criminal convictions, 25 have been arrested on federal or local charges with active ICE detainers, 4 are being held for the U.S. Marshals, and 46 are detained on immigration charges, including failure to appear before a deportation judge or re-entering the country after deportation.
