ICE Accused of "Poaching" Agents from State and City Police Forces, Sparking Pushback from Local Sheriffs
By Greg Hoyt
Law Enforcement Today
Aug 4, 2025
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem accompanies ICE agents on an
immigration enforcement operation in New York City, Jan. 28, 2025.
WASHINGTON, DC - With immigration enforcement
efforts in high demand under the Trump administration, the need for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has been on the rise as
well. However, the recruitment tactics reportedly being utilized by the agency have left various state and local law enforcement agencies irritated.
The Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has had its hiccups and successes, but regardless of the rocky path the current administration is enduring with trying to keep the promises made along the campaign trail, the aforementioned job can’t be completed without agents on the ground. Hence, recruitment efforts for ICE have been on the upswing.
But as with any respectable law enforcement agency, or generally any niche industry for that matter, finding potential recruits isn’t exactly the easiest task. With said recruitment conundrum in mind, ICE is employing a tried-and-true method to boost their numbers to the alleged dismay of various state and local law enforcement agencies: employee poaching.
While the term poaching may harbor a negative connotation, it’s seemingly a fitting term for what various reports are claiming is going on with respect to ICE’s recruitment endeavors. According to reports, ICE had sent out a recruiting email blast to various officers and deputies across the country in late July, many of whom had worked alongside the agency via joint operations.
In some cases, these deputies and officers targeted with the recruitment email had already been trained by ICE due to the agency’s 287(g) program, which allows ICE “to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight.” In the emails sent to officers who’d been trained under the 287(g) program, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan addressed the potential recruits with accolades on their prior work alongside the agency, informing recipients, “We hope to welcome you to the ICE team soon.”
Needless to say, when some of the leaders of these state and local law enforcement agencies caught wind of the recruitment emails going around, their annoyance was hardly kept a secret. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri was among those law enforcement leaders peeved about the ICE emails, telling ABC News, “The State of Florida and Florida law enforcement agencies have expended significant resources and invested in our personnel to ensure that we are properly staffed so that we can provide the best law enforcement services to our residents and visitors.”
The Florida sheriff added that his agency has worked tirelessly to help ICE’s mission through various joint operations, which made the recruitment email sent to his deputies all the more aggravating, saying, “ICE actively trying to use our partnership to recruit our personnel is wrong, and we have expressed our concern to ICE leadership.”
A White House official confirmed the circulation of the emails and noted the administration understands the frustration expressed by some law enforcement leaders, but added that ICE is trying to attract the best possible candidates to the agency, and the likes of active law enforcement officers tend to make for a smoother transition and training regimen.
The Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has had its hiccups and successes, but regardless of the rocky path the current administration is enduring with trying to keep the promises made along the campaign trail, the aforementioned job can’t be completed without agents on the ground. Hence, recruitment efforts for ICE have been on the upswing.
But as with any respectable law enforcement agency, or generally any niche industry for that matter, finding potential recruits isn’t exactly the easiest task. With said recruitment conundrum in mind, ICE is employing a tried-and-true method to boost their numbers to the alleged dismay of various state and local law enforcement agencies: employee poaching.
While the term poaching may harbor a negative connotation, it’s seemingly a fitting term for what various reports are claiming is going on with respect to ICE’s recruitment endeavors. According to reports, ICE had sent out a recruiting email blast to various officers and deputies across the country in late July, many of whom had worked alongside the agency via joint operations.
In some cases, these deputies and officers targeted with the recruitment email had already been trained by ICE due to the agency’s 287(g) program, which allows ICE “to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight.” In the emails sent to officers who’d been trained under the 287(g) program, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan addressed the potential recruits with accolades on their prior work alongside the agency, informing recipients, “We hope to welcome you to the ICE team soon.”
Needless to say, when some of the leaders of these state and local law enforcement agencies caught wind of the recruitment emails going around, their annoyance was hardly kept a secret. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri was among those law enforcement leaders peeved about the ICE emails, telling ABC News, “The State of Florida and Florida law enforcement agencies have expended significant resources and invested in our personnel to ensure that we are properly staffed so that we can provide the best law enforcement services to our residents and visitors.”
The Florida sheriff added that his agency has worked tirelessly to help ICE’s mission through various joint operations, which made the recruitment email sent to his deputies all the more aggravating, saying, “ICE actively trying to use our partnership to recruit our personnel is wrong, and we have expressed our concern to ICE leadership.”
A White House official confirmed the circulation of the emails and noted the administration understands the frustration expressed by some law enforcement leaders, but added that ICE is trying to attract the best possible candidates to the agency, and the likes of active law enforcement officers tend to make for a smoother transition and training regimen.
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