Media Contact

Angela Cooper, Communications Director, 502-654-8227, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2025

Eric King

Digital Communications Strategist, ACLU- KY

502-822-6111, [email protected]

 

ACLU of Kentucky Condemns Effort to Federalize Local Police into Immigration Agents

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The following statement can be attributed to Amber Duke, ACLU-KY Executive Director:

“The ACLU of Kentucky strongly opposes BR1139, which would force every local law-enforcement agency and the Kentucky State Police to enter into a 287(g) “Task Force Model” agreement with ICE, a program that deputizes local officers to act as federal immigration agents during routine policing. This is another bad attempt to copy and paste a failed idea used in other states into Kentucky law. This attack on local control will undermine public safety, erode constitutional rights, strain law-enforcement resources, and damage community trust across Kentucky. Lawmakers in the 2026 General Assembly should reject this harmful and unnecessary mandate and keep local policing focused on protecting everyone in our communities.”

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislature and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms. For additional information, visit our website at: www.aclu-ky.org.