Attorney General Jackley Authorizes DCI to Obtain 287(g) Status During Visit to Southern Border

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley and 11 other Attorneys General Wednesday received a first-hand look at the southern border in Arizona, and Attorney General Jackley pledged his office’s help in dealing with those issues.

“We applaud and support President Trump, U.S. Attorney General Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Noem, Border Czar Homan, and the men and women serving here on the border for their efforts to better protect all of us,” said Attorney General Jackley. “I have also authorized the State Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to obtain 287(g) program authority to help enforce federal immigration law in South Dakota with emphasis on violent criminals, and drug dealers. As Attorney General, I will ensure that my office does its part in facing this problem.’

The 287(g) program, authorized by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, allows state and local law enforcement agencies to enter agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to perform specific immigration enforcement duties under ICE supervision. These agreements grant local officers the authority to identify, process, and detain individuals for immigration violations they encounter during their regular law enforcement activities. 

Attorney General Jackley and the group visited the gap in President Trump’s wall at the Cocopah Indian Reservation, a site marked by abandoned ladders used to illegally enter into the United States, a recently constructed border wall, and the Colorado River. The Attorneys General also held a roundtable discussion with local authorities to discuss the increased cost and the impact illegal immigrants have had on their communities.

Other Attorney Generals in the group were from: Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Utah.

The trip was organized by the Republican Attorneys General Association.

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