Arizona county supervisors hire lawyers to undo deal with ICE

PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. - A deal between the Pinal County Attorney's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could soon be challenged in court.

What we know:

According to reports, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors convened a special session on the afternoon of Jan. 30, where they discussed the deal between PCAO and ICE with an outside law firm. The board later approved a motion to hire the firm to start civil proceedings to void the agreement.

The backstory:

On Dec. 8, 2025, we reported that PCAO is partnering with ICE to, in the words of County Attorney Brad Miller, enforce immigration laws and target violent offenders who are in the country illegally.

Under the 287(g) program, Miller said his office and ICE will join task forces targeting child and drug traffickers, domestic violence and crimes against children. He noted that immigration issues are a precursor to some of those violent crimes and the partnership will allow the county to address the source.

Miller said the 287(g) partnership with ICE will work by using targeted intelligence, going after specific individuals who have been under investigation and using search warrants granted by a judge.

In return for identifying, detaining and helping ICE deport these immigrants, Pinal County will gain access to federal resources, including extra manpower and money.

On Jan. 21, we reported that the Pinal County Board of Supervisors voted to block the agreement.

"He was not authorized to sign that agreement without our approval," said Board Chairman Jeffrey McClure. "He did. And we disapproved it."

Miller subsequently issued a statement on the agreement's blocking, which reads:

"While the task force model was rejected, Pinal County continues to operate under a "jail enforcement model" of the 287(g) program. Under that existing agreement—which is also used by the Arizona Department of Corrections—jail staff can inquire about the citizenship of any person arrested and turn them over to ICE if they are in the country illegally, regardless of whether they have been convicted of a crime."

While the task force model was rejected, Pinal County continues to operate under a "jail enforcement model" of the 287(g) program. Under that existing agreement—which is also used by the Arizona Department of Corrections—jail staff can inquire about the citizenship of any person arrested and turn them over to ICE if they are in the country illegally, regardless of whether they have been convicted of a crime.