{"id":45558,"date":"2025-08-01T04:13:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T09:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=45558"},"modified":"2025-08-01T04:13:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T09:13:55","slug":"ice-efforts-to-poach-local-officers-anger-some-local-law-enforcement-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=45558","title":{"rendered":"ICE efforts to poach local officers anger some local law enforcement leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement is newly flush with billions from the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d spending legislation and under pressure to rapidly hire 10,000 new agents. But one tactic it recently tried to do that hiring \u2014 aggressively recruiting new agents from some of its most trusted local law enforcement partners \u2014 may have alienated some of the leaders it needs to help execute what the Trump administration wants to be the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe\u2019re their force multipliers, and this is the thanks we get for helping them do their job?\u201d Polk County, Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd said in an interview. Judd said he\u2019s not happy about a recruitment email ICE\u2019s deputy director sent to hundreds of his deputies, and he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cKristi Noem needs to get on her big girl pants and do what\u2019s right. She needs to make sure that there\u2019s an apology,\u201d said Judd, who also made it clear that he wants to \u201csupport President Trump\u2019s mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">NBC News spoke to local law enforcement leaders in four states whose agencies participate in ICE\u2019s 287(g) program, under which local officers are deputized to help in immigration enforcement, and whose deputies ICE targeted for recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The recruitment email, sent this week, appears to have targeted law enforcement officers whose agencies participate in the 287(g) program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The email, which NBC News has obtained, reads, in part: \u201cAs someone who is currently supporting ICE through the 287(g) program, you understand the unique responsibility we carry in protecting our communities and upholding federal law. Your experience in state or local law enforcement brings invaluable insight and skills to this mission \u2014qualities we need now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The email also touts potential $50,000 signing bonuses as an incentive for joining ICE, and it links to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/join.ice.gov\/__;!!PIZeeW5wscynRQ!ucPTqGH2YPUcTM9qzySgn2SJS63to3CQWHojTfS6uwxSY-irjuRHINByKNWDI1HbQ70BPPSRkQq6jfEPyVBKekhn4F-b9ORb_GCQcFo$\">a government recruitment website<\/a>&nbsp;featuring an image of Uncle Sam, the headline \u201cAMERICA NEEDS YOU\u201d and the possibility of up to $60,000 in student loan repayment beyond the signing bonuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cICE actively trying to use our partnership to recruit our personnel is wrong and we have expressed our concern to ICE leadership,\u201d the Pinellas County, Florida, Sheriff\u2019s Office said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The sheriff in Pinellas County is a Republican, as is Judd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt was bad judgment that will cause an erosion of a relationship that has been improving of late. And it\u2019s going to take some getting over, and it\u2019s going to take leadership at DHS to really take stock, \u2019cause, hey, they need state and locals,\u201d Jonathan Thompson, the executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs\u2019 Association, said in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Thompson said the association has heard from more than a dozen law enforcement agencies about the recruitment emails. He also said that the group has not heard from DHS since the emails were flagged to the association and that he intends to send a \u201cvery stern note\u201d to ICE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThis is inappropriate behavior of a partner organization,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWe\u2019re all on the same boat. And you just don\u2019t treat friends or partners like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">One Florida police chief who did not want to be named out of concern that his department could face retaliation said departments that have partnered with the federal government now fear they could lose their best officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cNow you know why everybody\u2019s so pissed,\u201d the chief said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThis is like the transfer portal in college sports,\u201d the chief said, adding: \u201cWe see people leave us because they believe they can make more money at other locations. &#8230; Law enforcement has always been a calling. Now it\u2019s a job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The DHS media office did not respond to questions about local law enforcement concerns but provided NBC News with a statement that it attributed to a senior DHS official: \u201cICE is recruiting law enforcement, veterans, and other patriots who want to serve their country. &#8230; This includes local law enforcement, veterans, and our 287(g) partners who have already been trained and have valuable law enforcement experience. Additionally, more than $500 million from President Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill will go to increasing our 287(g) partnerships with state and local law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The sheriff\u2019s office in Forsyth County, Georgia, told NBC News that the Atlanta ICE office \u201csent an apology\u201d for the recruitment email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Not all sheriffs are upset with the recruitment effort. In fact, some say they support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Thaddeus Cleveland, the sheriff of Terrell County, Texas, said, \u201cI think if someone wants to better their life, better their career, you know, look towards the long years, the long game, retirement, there\u2019s nothing better than the U.S. government to go out and have a successful career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Cleveland, who has just four deputies, admits he cannot compete with the $50,000 bonuses the agency is offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe may not be able to turn around and hire somebody the next day. It may take a few weeks. It may take a few months. But again, I support, you know, someone wanting to pursue something they\u2019re interested in. I may end up having to work a little more, which is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Goliad County, Texas, Sheriff Roy Boyd also said he is not upset about the recruitment and noted that his office also has to deal with the state\u2019s recruiting new troopers from his department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe can\u2019t compete with the salaries of the state and the feds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ICE efforts to poach local officers anger some local law enforcement leaders     Immigration and Customs Enforcement is newly flush with billions from the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d spending legislation and under pressure to rapidly hire 10,000 new agents. But one tactic it recently tried to do that hiring \u2014 aggressively recruiting new agents from some of its most trusted local law enforcement partners \u2014 may have alienated some of the leaders it needs to help execute what the Trump administration wants to be the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. \u201cWe\u2019re their force multipliers, and this is the thanks we get for helping them do their job?\u201d Polk County, Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd said in an interview. Judd said he\u2019s not happy about a recruitment email ICE\u2019s deputy director sent to hundreds of his deputies, and he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE. \u201cKristi Noem needs to get on her big girl pants and do what\u2019s right. She needs to make sure that there\u2019s an apology,\u201d said Judd, who also made it clear that he wants to \u201csupport President Trump\u2019s mission.\u201d NBC News spoke to local law enforcement leaders in four states whose agencies participate in ICE\u2019s 287(g) program, under which local officers are deputized to help in immigration enforcement, and whose deputies ICE targeted for recruitment. The recruitment email, sent this week, appears to have targeted law enforcement officers whose agencies participate in the 287(g) program. The email, which NBC News has obtained, reads, in part: \u201cAs someone who is currently supporting ICE through the 287(g) program, you understand the unique responsibility we carry in protecting our communities and upholding federal law. Your experience in state or local law enforcement brings invaluable insight and skills to this mission \u2014qualities we need now more than ever.\u201d The email also touts potential $50,000 signing bonuses as an incentive for joining ICE, and it links to\u00a0a government recruitment website\u00a0featuring an image of Uncle Sam, the headline \u201cAMERICA NEEDS YOU\u201d and the possibility of up to $60,000 in student loan repayment beyond the signing bonuses. \u201cICE actively trying to use our partnership to recruit our personnel is wrong and we have expressed our concern to ICE leadership,\u201d the Pinellas County, Florida, Sheriff\u2019s Office said in a statement. The sheriff in Pinellas County is a Republican, as is Judd. \u201cIt was bad judgment that will cause an erosion of a relationship that has been improving of late. And it\u2019s going to take some getting over, and it\u2019s going to take leadership at DHS to really take stock, \u2019cause, hey, they need state and locals,\u201d Jonathan Thompson, the executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs\u2019 Association, said in an interview. Thompson said the association has heard from more than a dozen law enforcement agencies about the recruitment emails. He also said that the group has not heard from DHS since the emails were flagged to the association and that he intends to send a \u201cvery stern note\u201d to ICE. \u201cThis is inappropriate behavior of a partner organization,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWe\u2019re all on the same boat. And you just don\u2019t treat friends or partners like this.\u201d One Florida police chief who did not want to be named out of concern that his department could face retaliation said departments that have partnered with the federal government now fear they could lose their best officers. \u201cNow you know why everybody\u2019s so pissed,\u201d the chief said. \u201cThis is like the transfer portal in college sports,\u201d the chief said, adding: \u201cWe see people leave us because they believe they can make more money at other locations. ... Law enforcement has always been a calling. Now it\u2019s a job.\u201d The DHS media office did not respond to questions about local law enforcement concerns but provided NBC News with a statement that it attributed to a senior DHS official: \u201cICE is recruiting law enforcement, veterans, and other patriots who want to serve their country. ... This includes local law enforcement, veterans, and our 287(g) partners who have already been trained and have valuable law enforcement experience. Additionally, more than $500 million from President Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill will go to increasing our 287(g) partnerships with state and local law enforcement.\u201d The sheriff\u2019s office in Forsyth County, Georgia, told NBC News that the Atlanta ICE office \u201csent an apology\u201d for the recruitment email. Not all sheriffs are upset with the recruitment effort. In fact, some say they support it. Thaddeus Cleveland, the sheriff of Terrell County, Texas, said, \u201cI think if someone wants to better their life, better their career, you know, look towards the long years, the long game, retirement, there\u2019s nothing better than the U.S. government to go out and have a successful career.\u201d Cleveland, who has just four deputies, admits he cannot compete with the $50,000 bonuses the agency is offering. \u201cWe may not be able to turn around and hire somebody the next day. It may take a few weeks. It may take a few months. But again, I support, you know, someone wanting to pursue something they\u2019re interested in. I may end up having to work a little more, which is OK.\u201d Goliad County, Texas, Sheriff Roy Boyd also said he is not upset about the recruitment and noted that his office also has to deal with the state\u2019s recruiting new troopers from his department. \u201cWe can\u2019t compete with the salaries of the state and the feds,\u201d he said.      Nbcnews\">Nbcnews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Immigration and Customs Enforcement is newly flush with billions from the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d spending legislation and under pressure to rapidly hire 10,000 new agents. But one tactic it recently tried to do that hiring \u2014 aggressively recruiting new agents from some of its most trusted local law enforcement partners \u2014 may have alienated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":45559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1418,34195,34194,4485],"class_list":["post-45558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-ice","tag-local-leaders","tag-new-agents","tag-recruiting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45560,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45558\/revisions\/45560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}