This page is information, not legal advice. Missouri has no sanctuary cities and has actively pursued maximum cooperation with federal immigration enforcement since January 2025. The Missouri State Highway Patrol signed a statewide Task Force Model 287(g) agreement in March 2025, allowing troopers to conduct immigration enforcement during routine patrols across all of Missouri. As of January 2026, 39 agencies had signed agreements. Verify current conditions with the ACLU of Missouri, the International Institute of St. Louis, or a licensed immigration attorney.
Missouri moved quickly to align with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement priorities when Governor Mike Kehoe took office in January 2025. On his first day in office, Kehoe signed two executive orders: one directing selected Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers to receive immigration enforcement training under the 287(g) program, and one requiring law enforcement to include the immigration status of individuals in arrest reports. Missouri law already prohibited sanctuary policies in municipalities before Kehoe took office.
The most significant practical consequence of these early actions was the Missouri State Highway Patrol's 287(g) Task Force Model agreement, signed March 21, 2025. The MSHP operates statewide, meaning trained and deputized troopers can conduct immigration enforcement during routine patrol activities across all of Missouri's 114 counties and the City of St. Louis. This is different from county-by-county agreements - the MSHP statewide agreement means that any traffic stop on any Missouri highway by a trained MSHP trooper can result in immigration enforcement action.
As of January 2026, 39 Missouri law enforcement agencies had signed 287(g) agreements with ICE. Those included 28 Task Force Model agreements, seven Warrant Service Officer agreements, and four Jail Enforcement Model agreements. The number has continued to grow.
Part 1: Your rights under federal law - everywhere, including Missouri
These rights come from the U.S. Constitution. They apply in Missouri regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or how you entered the country.
At your front door
The Fourth Amendment protects your home from government entry without your consent or a judicial warrant. Two very different documents may come to your door.
A judicial warrant is signed by a federal judge, based on probable cause, and authorizes entry to a specific address. If ICE presents a valid judicial warrant with your correct address and a judge's signature, officers have legal authority to enter. Ask to see it through a closed door or window before opening.
An administrative warrant, typically ICE Form I-200 or I-205, is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge. An administrative warrant does not authorize ICE to enter your home without your consent. You do not have to open the door. Ask through the door which type of warrant they have. If it is administrative, you are not required to let them in.
During a traffic stop or street encounter
You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration history, or your status. You can say you are exercising your right to remain silent and want to speak to a lawyer. You can ask whether you are free to go. If the officer says yes, you may calmly leave.
Do not lie and do not provide false documents. Silence is a legal right. False statements are a separate crime. Many families carry a printed card asserting these rights. Note: Under Governor Kehoe's executive order, Missouri law enforcement is now required to ask about and record the immigration status of people they arrest. Remaining silent about your immigration status is a legal right; you cannot be compelled to answer.
At your workplace
ICE may enter public areas of a workplace without a warrant. Private, non-public areas generally require a judicial warrant or employer consent. You have the right to remain silent in any workplace encounter.
Do not sign anything without a lawyer
Documents presented during an ICE arrest may include voluntary departure agreements or stipulated removal orders that waive your right to a hearing before an immigration judge. Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney first.
Part 2: The Missouri State Highway Patrol - statewide 287(g) enforcement
The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Task Force Model 287(g) agreement, signed March 21, 2025, is the single most significant enforcement instrument for immigrant families across rural and suburban Missouri. Under the Task Force Model, trained and deputized MSHP troopers can conduct immigration enforcement during their routine patrol duties - including traffic stops, checkpoints, and community encounters anywhere in the state.
From September 26, 2025 through January 2026, MSHP officers obtained ICE detainers on approximately 36 people. MSHP officials stated that the detainers resulted from normal enforcement duties rather than targeted immigration operations. The statewide nature of the MSHP agreement means that a routine traffic stop on Interstate 70, Route 66, or any Missouri highway can result in immigration enforcement if the trooper is trained and deputized under the 287(g) agreement.
The MSHP statewide agreement is distinct from county-level agreements because it applies everywhere in Missouri, not just in specific counties. Families in rural Missouri counties where no county-level 287(g) agreement exists are still at risk of encountering a trained MSHP trooper during any traffic stop on state roads.
Part 3: The county-level 287(g) landscape
In addition to the MSHP statewide agreement, county sheriffs and municipal departments across Missouri have signed their own 287(g) agreements. As of January 2026, 39 agencies had active or pending agreements, with more being added throughout 2025 and 2026.
The Task Force Model agreements are the most expansive - 28 agencies had signed these as of January 2026. Under this model, trained deputies and officers can conduct immigration enforcement during routine policing in their jurisdictions, not just in jails. Families living in counties or cities with Task Force Model agreements face street-level enforcement risk during any routine law enforcement encounter.
Seven agencies had Warrant Service Officer agreements, which authorize officers to serve ICE administrative warrants on people already in local jail custody. Four agencies had Jail Enforcement Model agreements, which allow jail staff to screen people in custody for immigration status. Jackson County, home to Kansas City's eastern communities, and St. Charles County have both entered into agreements. Jefferson County began collecting immigration status data as of July 2025 under the governor's executive order.
St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis had not enrolled in formal 287(g) agreements as of early 2026. St. Louis city police were still working on implementing the immigration status data collection requirement from the governor's executive order as of July 2025. Families in St. Louis city and county face less coordinated local enforcement than in areas with active 287(g) agreements, but ICE operates independently in those areas regardless.
Part 4: Immigration status in arrest reports - the data collection order
Governor Kehoe's Executive Order 25-05 directed the Missouri State Highway Patrol to include immigration status within required fields for its crime reporting system and to collect that information statewide from all law enforcement agencies. This order means that when someone is arrested in Missouri for any offense, law enforcement is directed to ask about and record their immigration status.
Seven months after the order was signed, the MSHP was still building the system. Some counties began collecting the information by July 2025; others, including St. Louis city, were still working on implementation. Practically speaking, this means that an arrest for a minor offense in Missouri can now result in your immigration status being recorded in the state crime reporting system, which is accessible to law enforcement.
You are not legally required to answer questions about your immigration status. Your right to remain silent applies. The fact that Missouri law enforcement is directed to ask does not create a legal obligation to answer.
Part 5: Missouri's sanctuary ban and no protective jurisdictions
Missouri state law already prohibited municipalities from adopting sanctuary policies before Governor Kehoe took office. Section 67.307 of the Missouri statutes prohibits municipalities from adopting policies that limit cooperation with federal requirements to verify or report immigration statuses or that grant one the right to lawful presence.
There are no official sanctuary cities or counties in Missouri, and no local government that has a formal policy of limiting cooperation with ICE. Kansas City and St. Louis do not have formal sanctuary policies, though their police departments have not aggressively pursued immigration enforcement as a proactive focus. The absence of sanctuary protections means that if you are arrested in Missouri, there is no local policy that would limit your exposure to ICE through the jail booking process.
Part 6: What to do right now, before anything happens
Know your A-number and make sure trusted family members have it written down. It is on any prior immigration document.
Know that the Missouri State Highway Patrol can conduct immigration enforcement during any routine traffic stop across the state under its Task Force Model 287(g) agreement. If you are stopped by an MSHP trooper, the encounter may include immigration enforcement elements. Your right to remain silent applies.
Know that in Missouri, an arrest for any offense will likely result in your immigration status being asked about and recorded in the state database. Your right not to answer questions about your immigration status remains intact, but the data collection system is now in place.
Identify an immigration attorney before you need one. Missouri's immigrant legal services infrastructure is concentrated in Kansas City and St. Louis. The International Institute of St. Louis, the KCMO Legal Aid, and the ACLU of Missouri are key resources.
Prepare guardianship documents for any children in your household. Set up a financial power of attorney so a trusted person can manage accounts and property if you are detained.
Part 7: Legal help and resources in Missouri
The ACLU of Missouri monitors enforcement conditions and has been engaged on immigration issues across the state. Their website is aclu-mo.org.
The International Institute of St. Louis provides immigration legal services, resettlement support, and community resources for immigrants in the St. Louis metro area. They are one of the most established immigrant services organizations in the state.
The Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project (MICA) serves immigrant communities in the Kansas City metro area, providing legal services and advocacy.
Kansas City Tenants and Missouri Immigrants Rights Coalition are advocacy organizations that provide know-your-rights resources and community connections.
Legal Aid of Western Missouri and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri both provide free civil legal assistance to low-income Missourians, including immigration matters.
For immigration court case information, call the EOIR automated line at 1-800-898-7180. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. Missouri ICE detainees may be held at county jails with agreements or transferred to the CoreCivic-operated Leavenworth Detention Center in Kansas, which serves the Midwest region. Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 if your person does not appear in the locator.
Immigration Advocates Network lists Missouri legal providers at immigrationadvocates.org.
Missouri moved on Day One of the new administration to align state law enforcement with federal immigration priorities. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has a statewide Task Force Model 287(g) agreement covering all of Missouri. Thirty-nine agencies had enrolled by January 2026 and the number continues to grow. Immigration status is now collected in arrest reports statewide. There are no sanctuary cities in Missouri. Your federal constitutional rights apply in full across Missouri: an administrative warrant does not authorize entry to your home without consent, your right to remain silent is unchanged including on questions about immigration status, and you cannot be compelled to sign anything without a lawyer. Knowing those rights and having legal contacts before a crisis are the foundations for protecting your family here.
This page reflects conditions as of mid-2026. 39 agencies had 287(g) agreements as of January 2026 with the network continuing to expand. The MSHP statewide Task Force agreement has been active since March 2025. Verify current agency-level 287(g) participation with the ACLU of Missouri or a licensed immigration attorney.