Press & Media

Press Kit

A free, nonpartisan civic tool that grades all 50 states and DC on the due-process protections they've written into law against federal civil immigration enforcement — and lets any citizen contact their representatives in about a minute.

35 of 50 states grade F
5 earn an A
1,900+ 287(g) agreements
65,000+ events tracked
Download the press kit (PDF) Contact press@
The story

Federal civil immigration enforcement has expanded faster than at any time in recent memory: agreements deputizing state and local police to act as federal agents have grown roughly 14-fold since the start of 2025, to more than 1,900, and a 2025 federal law directed roughly $170 billion toward enforcement.

The Supreme Court has held three times that the federal government cannot force states to carry out its enforcement — which means each state decides how far to go. FederalLimits.org is the scorecard that shows whether your state has.

It grades all 50 states on the limits they've actually written into law, across nine due-process standards. The finding: 35 of 50 states have written little or no protections into law for their residents.

By the numbers

Every figure below is verified against primary sources and re-confirmed before publication. Figures move; current as of June 2026.

35
of 50 states grade F
Little or no cooperation limits written into law. National average: 3.27 / 18.
5
states earn an A
California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon.
21
states mandate cooperation
State law directs local agencies to assist federal civil enforcement.
1,903
287(g) agreements
Deputizing state and local police — up roughly 14× from ~135 at the start of 2025. ICE roster, June 5, 2026.
65k+
enforcement events tracked
Federal civil-enforcement events, with a citation behind every record.
~1 min
to look up and act
Enter a ZIP, see your state's grade, contact your representatives. No account required.

The nine standards

Each state is scored 0 (none), 1 (partial), or 2 (enforceable) on nine standards — the distinct legal limits a state can put into law. Maximum 18 points. The full methodology and codebook are public at /methodology.

01
Personnel & Resource LimitsState personnel and resources withheld from federal civil immigration enforcement.
02
Cooperation Contract Prohibitions287(g) and similar agreements limited or barred by statute.
03
Sensitive Location ProtectionsSchools, hospitals, courthouses, and places of worship kept off-limits.
04
Private Detention RestrictionsState oversight of privately operated detention facilities.
05
Information FirewallsState data systems firewalled from federal civil-enforcement requests.
06
Warrant RequirementA judicial warrant required before honoring a detention or transfer request.
07
Documentation TransparencyPublic reporting of cooperation activity.
08
Enforcement & RemediesA private right of action and/or statutory enforcement authority.
09
Federal Agent IdentificationVisible identification and mask restrictions for on-duty enforcement.
A 15–18B 12–14C 8–11D 4–7F 0–3

Quotes for attribution

Attributable to Travis Edgar, founder, FederalLimits.org.

"We are not anti-cooperation. We are anti-winging-it. Cooperation works best when the legal boundaries are clear and in writing."

Travis Edgar · Founder

"A march moves the country in the aggregate. A scorecard moves a bill in the particular."

Travis Edgar · Founder

Founder

Travis Edgar, founder of FederalLimits.org

Travis Edgar

Founder, FederalLimits.org

Travis Edgar is the founder of FederalLimits.org, which grades all 50 states and DC on the due-process protections they've written into law against federal civil immigration enforcement — and lets any citizen contact their representatives in about a minute. He built and independently operates it from New Mexico, on a cross-partisan principle: no single office should wield enforcement power without limits — and states have the legal authority to set them.

FederalLimits.org takes no government funding and applies the same standards regardless of which party holds power.

Available for interview. For interviews, data questions, or a walkthrough of any state's grade, contact press@federallimits.org.

Legal basis

The project is grounded in the Supreme Court's anti-commandeering doctrine — the principle that the federal government cannot compel states to administer or enforce a federal program.

New York v. United States
1992

Congress cannot compel states to enact or administer a federal program.

Printz v. United States
1997

The federal government cannot conscript state and local officers to execute federal law.

Murphy v. NCAA
2018

Congress cannot forbid states from changing their own laws.

Federal courts have dismissed recent federal lawsuits challenging states' cooperation limits — including United States v. Illinois (dismissed 2025) and United States v. Colorado (dismissed 2026) — on anti-commandeering grounds; some related cases remain pending.

Download the kit

Press-ready assets. The fact sheet, release, FAQ, and founder bio are bundled in the full kit; the one-pager and standards flyer are print-ready.

PDF · Full kit
Press Kit
Release, fact sheet, FAQ, founder bio, and boilerplate in one document.
PDF · 1 page
One-Pager
The project at a glance — what it is, the numbers, the legal basis, contact.
PDF · Print
Nine-Standards Flyer
The nine cooperation standards, scoring, and grade scale.
PNG · Logo
Logo
High-resolution FederalLimits.org wordmark for print and web.
About FederalLimits.org

FederalLimits.org is a free, nonpartisan civic technology project that grades all 50 states and DC on due-process protections against federal civil immigration enforcement, using nine standards grounded in Supreme Court precedent. Citizens can look up their state's grade and contact their representatives in about a minute. To our knowledge, it is the only nonpartisan A–F scorecard of all 50 states on state limits on federal authority, with a public methodology and codebook. Independently operated from New Mexico; incorporated as a nonprofit (EIN 42-1872923); 501(c)(4) recognition pending. It accepts no government funding and applies the same standards regardless of which party holds power.

Press inquiries

Interviews, data questions, or a walkthrough of any state's grade.

press@federallimits.org

www.FederalLimits.org