A new federal plan to subsidize liability insurance for local officers enforcing immigration law would have covered the 16 Bucks County sheriff's deputies once trained for that work at the Doylestown-based office. Bucks County already left.
ICE published a planning document on Saturday, Aug. 15, proposing to reimburse up to $250 annually for officers who purchase professional liability policies covering up to $500,000 in personal claims, the Bucks County Beacon reported, citing Associated Press reporting. The insurance would fund legal fees, settlements and judgments for officers accused of misconduct while making immigration arrests.
The proposal comes as nearly 1,600 agencies in 32 states participate in ICE's 287(g) task force model, which allows trained local officers to question, arrest and charge people suspected of being in the country illegally. Arrests through those partnerships averaged 3,000 per month in early 2026, up from 250 per month in 2024, according to ICE data provided to the University of California Berkeley's Deportation Data Project.
Bucks County's exit
Former Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran, a Republican, signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE in April 2025, granting his deputies authority to question immigration status and execute arrest warrants on ICE's behalf. Sixteen deputies were trained for the program, though no immigrants were actually detained under it, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Harran lost his reelection bid in November 2025 to Democrat Danny Ceisler by roughly 25,000 votes. Ceisler, a U.S. Army veteran and attorney, took office Jan. 5, 2026, and signed an order terminating the 287(g) partnership on Jan. 14 at a press conference outside the Bucks County Justice Center on North Main Street in Doylestown.
"After careful evaluation, I have determined that the certain public safety costs of this ICE partnership are greatly outweighed by any potential public safety benefits that this partnership may offer," Ceisler said at the January press conference.
Ceisler also prohibited his deputies from asking crime victims, witnesses or court observers about their immigration status. He cited the county's more than 50,000 immigrant residents and said Bucks County "is not, has never been, and will never be a so-called sanctuary county."
The county's Department of Corrections still shares fingerprint data via a database called LiveScan, accessible to ICE and hundreds of other law enforcement agencies, and continues to honor ICE judicial warrants, according to WHYY.
Pennsylvania's insurance gap
The ICE insurance proposal also responds to a coverage gap that hit Pennsylvania counties hard. The Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool, the state's largest insurer for county governments, excluded "proactive immigration enforcement activities" from liability coverage effective June 1. The exclusion targets the 287(g) task force model specifically, leaving counties still in the program to find private coverage.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told the AP he found private insurance for his 13 participating deputies at $20,000 in annual premiums, adding that federal funding would cover the cost.
David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, told the AP the plan raises accountability concerns, arguing ICE is working to eliminate any liability risk for officers who may violate Americans' rights while making immigration arrests.
What's next
ICE asked for industry feedback on the proposal by Friday, Aug. 21. The agency plans to hire a contractor to manage outreach, training and communications for 287(g) partnerships; that contractor would also hire the insurance vendor and process reimbursements. No launch timeline or total cost estimate has been disclosed. ICE had no immediate comment on the plan.
The Bucks County Sheriff's Office has not publicly addressed whether the insurance proposal changes the county's posture on the program. Residents with questions can contact the sheriff's office at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown.
