Imagine getting pulled over in Texas for a busted tail light and the next thing you hear is an officer asking about your immigration status. Not because you crossed a border, not because you committed a crime, but because the state decided traffic stops are now an extension of federal immigration enforcement. Welcome to Texas SB8, where license and registration might now come with papers, please. A traffic stop could take an unexpected turn. Immigration enforcement is coming to Texas highways as part of a new agreement between the state and the federal government. >> The state highway patrol will now have some of the same authority as ICE. Foxa's Jordan Elder breaks down what you can expect on the roads and the new concerns it raises. >> And here come the concerns. You know, the tiny little issues like racial profiling, wrongful detentions, and traffic cops suddenly thinking they're junior ICE agents. But don't worry, Texas says everything will be fine because when has giving police more power ever gone wrong? Yeah, exactly. So now every tail light stop comes with a bonus round of do you belong here? Totally normal. Totally safe. Nothing to see here. When a Texas driver gets pulled over, it typically ends in either a ticket or a warning. But soon, it could end in an immigration check. Nearly 60% of Texas counties have signed up for a federal partnership that allows deputies to enforce immigration law. And this is a sharp increase from when we showed you just a few months ago. Roughly 3,500 Texas State Highway Patrolman will soon have the power to enforce federal immigration laws. It's part of a new agreement with ICE called the 287G program, giving the highway patrol and DPS investigators many of the same powers as federal agents. But could it lead to civil rights issues? >> So, before we go any deeper into Texas turning traffic stops into immigration checkpoints, we need to talk about the star of this show, the 287G program. Because if you don't understand 287G, none of this new papers please nonsense will make sense. So, here it is. 287G in plain English and even planer sarcasm. 287G is a federal program where ICE says to local cops, "Hey, want to help us enforce immigration law? Here's a badge upgrade. It's a partnership, which is government speak for you do the work, we avoid the blame." 287G lets state and local officers do the job of federal immigration agents. Not because they trained for it, not because their department is qualified, but because someone signed a piece of paper and said, "Yeah, sure. How bad could this be?" Spoiler alert, pretty bad. 287G isn't really about enforcing federal law. It's about expanding power without expanding accountability. It blurs the line between local policing and federal enforcement. It destroys community trust and it turns every highway into a potential checkpoint. But don't worry, Texas says they promise to use it responsibly because that's always worked out great before, right? >> So that means someone who's pulled over for speeding or maybe even because they have toll bills on their account, they could get pulled over and racially profiled. >> DPS declined an interview but confirmed that troopers across the state will be participating. The fact that they're now signing a 287g for certain parts of their agency is just a formalization of what they've already been doing in practice for months now. >> A new state law will require most counties to sign one of these agreements by January. So far, about 150 counties have already complied, including Bear, but Sheriff Javier Salazar says their program will look very different from DPS's. So, if you see a patrol car driving by, says Bear County Sheriff on the side of it, rest assured that deputy is not there to enforce immigration laws, that deputy is there to help. >> Ah, yes. Sheriff Javier Salazar wants everyone to rest easy because Beay County is only using the jail enforcement model. Translation: Don't worry, folks. We're only doing immigration enforcement after you're arrested. The patrol deputy driving by, totally harmless. Pinky promise. And let's be honest, every single 287G abuse scandal in the last decade started with a sheriff saying the exact same thing. It's just the jail model. Nothing to see here. Right up until mission creep kicks in and suddenly that patrol deputy who isn't part of this program starts asking questions anyway. And you already know when law enforcement gets new power with no transparency, the first thing they test is the limit. The second thing they test is you. So, no, the public shouldn't feel reassured because a sheriff slapped a label on the program. A 287g agreement is a door. And in policing, once the door exists, they always find someone to walk through it. >> Bear County is using the warrant service officer model, which means serving and executing administrative warrants on migrants in local custody. Salazar says his approach keeps the county compliant without extra cost to taxpayers. >> That deputy will not be tasked with asking any information uh from anybody regarding where they were born or what their immigration status is. >> One deputy will receive online training to help ICE serve warrants at the jail. A way to avoid significant overtime, something the sheriff's office was already battling before this program. Salazar hopes defining the partnership early will reduce fear in the community and protect the county if any of the requirements change. >> A law like Senate Bill 8 puts counties in a really difficult position. >> Meanwhile, groups like the Texas Civil Rights Project say expanding the program will drain time and money from true public safety. DPS says this is just one part of a larger federal partnership, including strike teams that already work alongside ICE and Homeland Security. And here's the part DPS really doesn't want you thinking too hard about. They're bragging that they already have strike teams working side by side with ICE and Homeland Security. DPS says it like it's totally normal. Oh, don't worry folks. We've already got special teams doing immigration operations. This is just business as usual. Exactly. That's the problem. The state wants you to believe this is some harmless partnership. But when DPS, ICE, and Homeland Security start sharing manpower, resources, and authority, you don't get safety. You get mission creep on steroids. Traffic stops turn into fishing expeditions. Highways turn into checkpoints. And strike teams start doing exactly what strike teams do, strike. So yeah, DPS saying they already work with ICE isn't a comfort. It's the whole reason people are worried in the first place. By next December, nearly every Texas county will need to have this program implemented because of the state law. If you're interested in seeing what model your county signed up for, this map is on our website for you right now. Jordan Elder, Fox SA. >> At the end of the day, this isn't about traffic safety. It's not about public protection. And it's definitely not about don't worry, the patrol deputy won't bother you. This is about power. Power that keeps expanding. power that keeps drifting into places it was never meant to be. And every time the state adds a new program, a new partnership, a new strike team, the same people get hurt. Ordinary drivers, families, and anyone who fits the wrong profile. If history teaches us anything, it's this. When law enforcement gets more authority and less oversight, the results are always predictable and never good. So, keep your cameras ready, know your rights, and don't let anyone tell you not to worry while they quietly build a system that demands exactly the opposite.