During Monday's Morning Joe, so-called ‘conservative’ writer Matt Lewis alleged ICE was “buying” local police forces across the country through the federal 287(g) program in order to serve as a “paramilitary” force for a possible plot by President Donald Trump to steal the midterm elections.
The federal program referred to by Lewis, titled ICE’s 287(g) program, was a cooperation partnership between ICE and local police agencies that allowed local police to help ICE carry out immigration enforcement in a limited fashion.
In return for joining the program, local police departments may receive reimbursements for money spent on local immigration enforcement.
During his MS NOW appearance, “conservative writer” Matt Lewis alleged participation in the 287(g) program decreased trust in police, even though the program had existed for decades:
And look, maybe you look at this and say cooperation is a good thing. Maybe you look at it and say, there's some perils to this, right? For example, there could be an erosion of trust in local police. Like if you're an immigrant, are you going to want to cooperate with the local police? But all of those things, I think, are interesting debates.
Then, while saying he didn't want to be a conspiracy theorist, Lewis suggested an ulterior and diabolical motive for the program:
For me, my concern, and I don't want to sound conspiratorial here, but, you know, recently Steve Bannon said that ICE should be used during the midterm elections. If you are concerned that ICE could be a paramilitary, private police of Donald Trump, then I think this takes on kind of an added dimension in terms of its importance.
Without any pushback on his outlandish claims, former ESPN personality, and now apparent MS NOW resident sports analyst, Pablo Torre continued spreading the notion of ICE “buying” local police:
But like the notion that local government, different from the federal government, money being a way to get what you want. Could you just spell out that effective conflict of interest that I think lots of people are probably only now learning and hearing about.
Lewis then implied if the federal government gave you money, you have to do what they tell you, or else:
The fact that ICE is paying for the salaries, the benefits, the equipment, the overtime for these local police officers. What happens is - I've just grown up believing that whoever pays you money ultimately becomes your boss, and you will do what the person paying you money does.
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And they’re doing it with - they're basically buying off these police departments.
The whole idea of the 287(g) was grounded in the idea of local governments choosing to help federal authorities. Lewis even mentions that the program was created in 1996 during the Clinton Administration.
It is also an absurd idea to claim that all federal grants to localities are bribes. If that is the case, then what was the point of federal funding for state government if it’s all a big bribe.
Even worse from Lewis was enflaming the idea of ICE being Trump’s “private police” or “paramilitary” force. With statements like this, it was no surprise why liberals are forming ‘resistance’ and ‘revolutionary' groups against ICE.
The transcript is below. Click to expand:
MS NOW’s Morning Joe
February 9, 2026
7:42:22 AM EasternJONATHAN LEMIRE: And on this subject, conservative writer Matt Lewis contends that ICE is buying America's local police forces. In a new piece on Substack, Matt writes about a financial arrangement that, he argues, raises the sort of eyebrow arching questions usually reserved for lobbyists and free steak dinners. Matt joins us now. Matt, good to see you. An important piece. So explain for us, if you will, what these 287(g) partnerships are and why they matter.
MATT LEWIS: So these are partnerships between ICE and state and local governments. And they ask for help from the state and local government police departments. It's optional, but if you go along with it, if you cooperate with ICE, they will reimburse your salaries, benefits, overtime and equipment.
So effectively there are, according to the DHS, 40 states that are cooperating and over around 1,300 local police departments that are taking money from ICE to cooperate with them.
And, you know, look, I think depending on how you look at it, this could be fine, right? And there you see this chart. It has dramatically increased during Donald Trump's first term. This policy has actually been in place since 1996 but it has become, as you can see, just dramatically ramped up. Many, many more local police departments are taking money from ICE to cooperate.
And look, maybe you look at this and say cooperation is a good thing. Maybe you look at it and say, there's some perils to this, right? For example, there could be an erosion of trust in local police. Like if you're an immigrant, are you going to want to cooperate with the local police? But all of those things, I think, are interesting debates.
For me, my concern, and I don't want to sound conspiratorial here, but, you know, recently Steve Bannon said that ICE should be used during the midterm elections. If you are concerned that ICE could be a paramilitary, private police of Donald Trump, then I think this takes on kind of an added dimension in terms of its importance.
PABLO TORRE: Yeah. Matt, The notion of the separation of powers. I don't want to be, you know, the pedantic academic guy in this discussion. But like the notion that local government, different from the federal government, money being a way to get what you want. Could you just spell out that effective conflict of interest that I think lots of people are probably only now learning and hearing about.
LEWIS: Right, Pablo. I am blown away that this story is not a bigger deal. Like in the past week, we have seen states like Virginia and Maryland try to roll back these programs, but most people don't understand the money involved, right? They just think, Virginia, because Virginia elected a Democratic governor, she no longer wants to be complicit with what ICE is doing. She doesn't want her local police to be helping them, right. To round up migrants, some of whom may or may not be illegal.
But most people don't know about the money. The fact that ice is paying for the salaries, the benefits, the equipment, the overtime for these local police officers. What happens is - I've just grown up believing that whoever pays you money ultimately becomes your boss, and you will do what the person paying you money does.
And some of these local police departments, and I'm sitting here in West Virginia, these small counties, they may not have a lot of tax revenue. They're relying now increasingly on money from ICE and, at a certain point, you do what you're told to do by the people who are paying you and who are funding you.
If you are a person, and I don't want to sound again too esoteric here, but if you believe in federalism, if you believe in separation of powers, if you believe in checks and balances, this is really Donald Trump and the federal government eroding that. Sort of tearing down that wall of separation, which – I know there's always going to be cooperation. At the end of the day, if the president wants to like nationalize, you know, somebody that he's probably going to do it. But it's happening already under our - we don't even, no one even knows that this is happening. And they're doing it with - they're basically buying off these police departments.
That's how I see it. But you know, you can talk to a law enforcement officer who I'm sure would have lots of logical reasons why this is helpful.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: There are a lot of conservative beliefs and values that have been completely thrown out the window. Whether you're talking about balancing budgets, we've got a $39 trillion debt, whether you're talking about federalism and states rights. Gone. And your piece just underlines it. And the new piece is online now, conservative writer Matt Lewis, we thank you so much for being with us. The article, "How ICE is buying America's local police forces."
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