Oldham County sheriff joined ICE’s 287(g) program after twice saying it wasn’t participating
The agreement is effective. Whether any deputy has received or used federal authority remains unclear.
After saying twice in 2025 that it was not participating in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program, the Oldham County Sheriff’s Office signed an agreement the following May to join it.
Sheriff Timothy Wakefield signed the Task Force Model agreement on May 1, 2026. ICE signed four days later, making it effective. The agreement allows selected deputies to be nominated for training and eventual authorization to perform specified federal immigration functions under ICE supervision.
So far, no verified evidence shows that an Oldham County deputy has received that authorization or used 287(g) powers. There is also no public explanation for why the Sheriff’s Office changed its position between November 2025 and May 2026.
Little public record of the decision
The decision left little trace in the county records reviewed for this story.
No relevant item appeared on the Oldham County Fiscal Court agendas reviewed for April 21 or May 5. A Public Safety & Jail Committee meeting scheduled for May 5 — the same day ICE signed the agreement — was canceled. Magistrate Kevin Woosley later provided a screenshot of his Facebook post from that week confirming the cancellation.
When asked about the 287(g) agreement in August, Woosley said he did not remember seeing it before it was provided to him.
“I also don’t remember seeing any new agreement from the sheriff,” Woosley said. “Those should come in front of us.”
That is Woosley’s understanding of how such an agreement should be handled, not a finding that Wakefield was legally required to seek Fiscal Court approval. A review of Kentucky’s Interlocal Cooperation Act did not resolve whether approval was required for this particular agreement. There is not enough evidence to say Wakefield violated state law, concealed the agreement, or bypassed a required county vote.
But basic questions about the decision remain. The records do not show who first approached whom about joining 287(g), when those discussions began, what legal or internal review took place, or what other county officials were told before Wakefield signed.
Wakefield controls the Sheriff’s Office’s participation in the program and the nomination of deputies. He did not respond to a request for comment asking him to explain the decision.
What the agreement allows
Section 287(g) of federal immigration law allows ICE to enter agreements with state and local law-enforcement agencies so qualified officers can perform specified immigration functions under federal direction and supervision. Executive Order 14159, issued Jan. 20, 2025, directed the Department of Homeland Security to expand those partnerships.
Signing the agreement does not automatically give Oldham County deputies federal immigration authority. The Sheriff’s Office may nominate personnel, but ICE handles the training, testing, certification and individual authorization required before a deputy can exercise delegated powers. ICE also supervises those federal functions.
That is an important limit on what is known today. Oldham County is in the program, but the agreement alone does not show that any deputy has been authorized to act under it.
The memorandum also requires maintaining program data and statistics. Those records could show whether deputies have been nominated, completed ICE requirements, received individual authorization, or performed work under the program. County records could also show whether participation has resulted in local spending.
Wakefield chose to put the Sheriff’s Office into the 287(g) program, but he has not explained why. The records reviewed so far also do not show whether any deputy has been authorized to use the federal powers the agreement makes possible. Oldham County residents have a right to know what powers their sheriff’s office has taken on — and whether those powers are being used.
Further Reading and Sources
Oldham County Sheriff’s Office / U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: 287(g) Task Force Model Memorandum of Agreement, signed May 1 and May 5, 2026.
Federal law: 8 U.S.C. § 1357(g), Powers of immigration officers and employees.
Executive action: Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion”.
ICE program materials: Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g).
Kentucky Interlocal Cooperation Act: KRS 65.220 and 2020 Kentucky Acts Chapter 98.
Oldham County Fiscal Court: April 21, 2026 agenda, May 5, 2026 agenda, and the county’s Fiscal Court agendas and minutes index.
Direct reporting: Interview and correspondence with Oldham County Magistrate Kevin Woosley, including his statements about the agreement and the screenshot documenting the May 5 Public Safety & Jail Committee cancellation; request for comment to Sheriff Timothy Wakefield.