A fiscal year 2013 budget brief released by Homeland Security today has some details on the Obama administration’s immigration enforcement priorities, and one of the losers is the federal-local partnership known as 287(g).

The administration is proposing a budget reduction of $17 million up front, and the document suggests a gradual phase-out in favor of Secure Communities, which is described as “more consistent, efficient and cost effective.”

From the brief:

287(g) Program: In light of the nationwide activation of the Secure Communities program, the Budget reduces the 287(g) program by $17 million. The Secure Communities screening process is more consistent, efficient and cost effective in identifying and removing criminal and other priority aliens. To implement this reduction in 2013, ICE will begin by discontinuing the least productive 287(g) task force agreements in those jurisdictions where Secure Communities is already in place and will also suspend consideration of any requests for new 287(g) task forces.

Named for a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 287(g) provides training and resources to law enforcement agencies that sign a contract with the federal government to partner in immigration enforcement. Unlike the controversial Secure Communities, which the Obama administration has declared is mandatory, participation in 287(g) is optional. Los Angeles County participates in it, sharing information about county jail inmates with immigration authorities. This is another key difference, as with Secure Communities, the biometric information shared is taken during the booking process, before there is a conviction.

Read the full story at Southern California Public Radio