Ozarks SP Statement on New 287(g) Agreements
- Socialist Party USA
- 8 minutes ago
- 3 min read
On June 12, 2026, both the Benton County Sheriff and Tontitown Police Department signed new agreements with Department of Homeland Security. These contracts were for both departments to be deputized as ICE agents under the 287(g) Taskforce model which, "Deputizes local officers to investigate immigration status, interrogate individuals during routine community encounters, and enforce federal immigration laws on the streets."
This new agreement effectively makes Tontitown and Benton County hostile municipalities and modern-day Sundown residences to all those who live and travel the area. This will enable officers to racially profile and detain people at will.
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Full Statement
On June 12, 2026, both the Benton County Sheriff and Tontitown Police Department signed new agreements with Department of Homeland Security. These contracts were for both departments to be deputized as ICE agents under the 287(g) Taskforce model which, “Deputizes local officers to investigate immigration status, interrogate individuals during routine community encounters, and enforce federal immigration laws on the streets.”
Members of the Ozarks Socialist Party have been vocally opposed to Benton County’s participation in the 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model for years. This new agreement by local police and the Sheriff’s office, is a significant escalation in the aggressive policing of our neighbors. Let us be clear: this was neither requested nor pursued by the community. Members of the community have been patiently and vocally asking monthly for the BCSO to move from the Jail Enforcement Model to the Warrant Service Officer Model. This move is in direct defiance of the asks of the community. The Tontitown Police and BCSO have decided to drive a deeper wedge of mistrust and suspicion between themselves and our already fractured community. Local elected officials and law enforcement have up until recently, denied helping ICE, despite the Benton County Sheriff’s agreement. This new agreement proves that local police have no interest in building community trust, and are instead interested in taking blood money from the Federal government to help an already bloated Department of Homeland Security. Tontitown Police and BCSO will now be incentivized to racially profile people to the tune of $500 to $1000 quarterly bonuses per officer for ICE related arrests. Modern police are direct descendants of slave patrols and this month’s new agreement proves that their function is to persecute, not protect. We cannot rely on the Tontitown Police or BCSO to provide helpful assistance to our communities without also bringing with them extreme danger and violence against our neighbors.
This new agreement effectively makes Tontitown and Benton County hostile municipalities and modern-day Sundown residences to all those who live and travel the area. This will enable officers to racially profile and detain people at will.
In response to this needless escalation of terror and violence, we call for an immediate ally economic boycott of Tontitown and Benton County. We call for an ally boycott of all community events sponsored by Tontitown and Benton County that shamelessly promote “community” in which they mean only “white” community until this agreement is rescinded. We echo any demands of our allies and other community-led organizations.
Additionally, we demand the following:
● An immediate public meeting with the chief of police and sheriff to answer to the community.
● The immediate cancellation of the Tontitown 287(g) agreement
● A public apology from the City of Tontitown, Decatur, and Benton County Quorum Court to the community for encouraging the racial profiling and targeting of community members that have made these wonderful, vibrant, and safe places to live.
Ratified and passed unanimously by the members of the Ozarks Socialist Party, 7/10/2026