DHS Paid $170 Million to Local Police as 'Incentives' for Immigration Enforcement

The Marshall Project reported on April 11, 2026 that the Department of Homeland Security had paid or earmarked more than $170 million in 'incentives' to local law enforcement agencies for locating and reporting undocumented immigrants. The payments represented a major shift in how the Trump administration funded immigration enforcement, routing money directly to local and county law enforcement agencies that agreed to cooperate with federal immigration operations — including nearly $6 million specifically for enforcing laws related to unaccompanied minors. Critics called the payments a means of creating a financial incentive structure that could distort local policing priorities, pushing law enforcement toward immigration work at the expense of public safety functions. The payments came as part of the administration's broader 'quieter' enforcement shift following the Metro Surge backlash, leveraging local officers rather than high-visibility federal operations.