A troubling development in federal-local law enforcement cooperation has caught the attention of Florida sheriffs.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons spoke openly yesterday about what he considers a breach of trust by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an interview on the “We Don’t Color on the Dog” podcast. The issue revolves around ICE’s recruitment of local deputies who had volunteered for federal immigration enforcement training—using the very contact information provided during that process.
The 287(g) Program and Its Unintended Consequences
The controversy stems from the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement officers to receive federal training and certification to assist ICE with immigration enforcement. Sheriff Simmons explained that his office, like many others across Florida, responded to requests from both the governor and ICE to have deputies take part in this program.
- “We have volunteered our employees to be certified to assist them,” Simmons said, describing how deputies received training, agency email addresses, and credentials to work alongside federal agents.
However, what has happened recently caught local law enforcement leaders off guard.
$50,000 Recruitment Package
After completing the training, deputies began receiving recruitment emails from ICE offering substantial financial incentives to leave their local positions and join the federal agency.
- “ICE has sent emails to, I don’t know how many agencies,” Simmons noted. “And it’s something like, ‘Dear colleague, you’ve shown an interest in this and that, and we want to let you know that we are offering a $50,000 bonus paid, I think $10,000 a year at a time, and it is for five years.”
“Poor Form” and Broken Trust
Sheriff Simmons didn’t mince words about his disappointment with ICE’s approach, calling it “biting the hand that feeds you.” He drew a comparison to asking a neighboring agency for help with an event, then handing out job applications once they arrived.
- “We went through all of that, took our time utilizing our local resources… and then they tried to recruit you right out from under you using the very emails that we give you for the training,” he said. “That’s poor form, and I’m surprised at how that took place.”
Local Agency’s Recruitment Success at Risk
The timing of ICE’s recruitment push hits the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, as Sheriff Simmons has invested heavily in building strong departments. Fortunately, his office has experienced perhaps its best recruitment and retention success in 50-60 years, which the sheriff attributes to the culture they’ve built and their in-house training academy.
- “We are the cool place to be right now, and we love that,” he said, highlighting the diverse career opportunities available to deputies, from patrol and narcotics to SWAT, marine units, and training roles.
One particularly telling detail emerged during the interview: ICE apparently didn’t send these recruitment emails to state agencies like the Florida Highway Patrol or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As Simmons put it, “That should tell you something.”
- The Bigger Picture: While Sheriff Simmons expressed confidence that his agency wouldn’t lose deputies due to its strong organizational culture and competitive benefits, the broader principle at stake concerns trust between federal and local law enforcement agencies.
