Conservative sounds alarm on under-the-radar Trump move to pay off cops to assist ICE

Source: Raw Story

February 9, 2026 9:51AM ET


During an appearance on MS NOW Monday, conservative commentator Matt Lewis raised the prospect of Donald Trump taking over local police departments by paying them off to help out in rounding up immigrants.

Using his Substack column from Sunday as a jumping-off point, Lewis claimed the American public is likely unaware of a program in place that allows local cops to take part in a “Task Force Model” offered by the federal government to supplement and assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“The federal government is reimbursing for the salaries and benefits (including perks like overtime and equipment) for these officers — a financial arrangement that raises the sort of eyebrow-arching questions usually reserved for lobbyists and free steak dinners," he wrote.

“The unspoken point here is that the person who pays you becomes your boss,” he insisted, while adding that there should be concerns about future elections. Speaking with the co-hosts of “Morning Joe,“ Lewis elaborated that the TFM program has existed for years, but it has exploded under Trump as his DHS agents invaded cities and forcefully started snatching people off the streets.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/ice-midterms/