Trey Martinez Fischer Files Bill To Repeal Texas Required 287g ICE Agreements

AUSTIN, Texas – State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio filed a bill Monday Nov. 9 that would repeal the Texas law requiring certain county sheriffs to request and enter 287(g) immigration enforcement agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the bill text posted by the Texas Legislature.

House Bill 123 was filed on the first day lawmakers could prefile bills for the 90th Texas Legislature, which opens its regular session in January 2027. State Sen. José Menéndez, also of San Antonio, filed Senate Bill 99 the same day. The Texas Legislature lists the two measures as identical companions, and both bills carry the same caption and the same council document number.

What House Bill 123 Says

The bill would repeal Chapter 753 of the Texas Government Code, the chapter that requires those sheriff agreements and that created a state grant program to help pay for them, according to the introduced text.

On and after the effective date, a sheriff who entered into an agreement as required by Section 753.051 could terminate that agreement as provided under the terms of the agreement, or otherwise, by giving written notice to ICE within a reasonable period before the termination date stated in the notice, according to the bill text. The bill would not automatically cancel existing agreements. A sheriff could also choose to keep one in place.

The comptroller could not award any new grant under the Chapter 753 grant program after the bill took effect. Grants awarded before that date would remain subject to the old rules, according to the bill text.

Any lawsuit brought by the attorney general to enforce Chapter 753 that was still pending on the effective date would be dismissed, and any court order issued to enforce that chapter would be void, according to the bill text.

The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. Otherwise it would take effect Sept. 1, 2027.

The 2025 Law That Required The Agreements

Chapter 753 was added by Senate Bill 8, which the 89th Texas Legislature passed in 2025 and which took effect Jan. 1, 2026, according to the enrolled bill. Under that law, the sheriff of each county that operates a jail, or that contracts with a private vendor to operate a jail, must request and enter into an immigration law enforcement agreement with ICE under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or a similar federal program.

Sheriffs have until Dec. 1, 2026, to comply, according to the enrolled text. A sheriff who requests an agreement but does not get one must ask again at least once a year and must annually provide the attorney general with proof of that attempt. The attorney general may sue a sheriff who fails to comply and may seek court orders and recover costs.

The law also directed the comptroller to run a grant program for sheriffs who have entered into an agreement and apply for the money. Grant amounts are based on county population, ranging from $80,000 for counties of 99,999 or fewer people to $140,000 for counties of at least 1 million, according to the enrolled text. The money must be used for costs of participating in the agreement that the federal government does not reimburse. A commissioners court may not cut a sheriff’s budget because the sheriff received the grant.

What 287(g) Agreements Do

Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act lets ICE delegate specified immigration enforcement authority to trained and certified state and local officers, according to ICE. ICE currently operates three models. The Jail Enforcement Model is limited to identifying and processing removable people who have been arrested and booked into a jail. The Warrant Service Officer Model lets designated officers serve and execute administrative warrants on people already in custody. The Task Force Model allows designated officers to use limited immigration authority while performing routine police duties or while taking part in an ICE-led task force, according to ICE.

Local Sheriff Offices Already Have Agreements

The Maverick County Sheriff’s Office has signed both a Jail Enforcement Model agreement and a Task Force Model agreement with ICE. Both were signed May 13, 2026, according to the memorandums of agreement posted by ICE and according to ICE’s participating agencies list dated Nov. 4, 2026.

That same ICE list also shows 287(g) agreements for other sheriff’s offices in the border region, including the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office (Warrant Service Officer model, signed Jan. 26, 2026), the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office (Task Force Model, signed March 26, 2025), the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office (Jail Enforcement, Task Force and Warrant Service Officer models, signed Dec. 10, 2025), the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office (Jail Enforcement, Task Force and Warrant Service Officer models, signed June 23, 2026) and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office (Jail Enforcement Model, signed Nov. 14, 2025).

ICE’s list also shows Task Force Model agreements for some constable offices in Maverick, Kinney and Dimmit counties. Senate Bill 8’s mandate applies to sheriffs of counties that operate or contract for a jail, not to constable offices, according to the enrolled text. House Bill 123’s termination language is written for sheriffs who entered agreements as required by Section 753.051.

What Happens Next

Prefiled bills are formally referred to committees after the session begins in January. House Bill 123 would need to pass a House committee, the full House, the Senate and then be signed by the governor or allowed to become law without a signature. The Maverick Times will follow the bill as the session gets underway.

Read more: Eddie Morales Files Bill To Ban Border Walls On Texas State Park Land

Sources: House Bill 123 introduced text | Senate Bill 99 introduced text | Texas Legislature Online history for House Bill 123 | Senate Bill 8 enrolled text | ICE 287(g) program page | Maverick County Sheriff’s Office Jail Enforcement Model agreement | Maverick County Sheriff’s Office Task Force Model agreement | ICE participating agencies list dated Nov. 4, 2026

Photo: State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio. Texas House of Representatives photo.

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