ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida’s governor is steering clear of a growing rift between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and several of the state’s sheriffs.
9 Investigates first broke the story yesterday, revealing that an email from ICE’s Deputy Director was sent to local law enforcement officers, including those recently certified under the 287(g) immigration enforcement program in what appeared to be an effort to recruit them away from their agencies.
The move has angered Florida sheriffs, who say they feel misled by the federal agency.
“It’s disheartening. I’m telling you more than disheartened. I’m going to be honest with you, I’m ****ed off,” Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith told 9 Investigates. “There’s no easy way to say what they’ve done.”
Sheriffs across the state say ICE’s attempt to poach their trained deputies contradicts what they thought was a partnership, not a pipeline for recruitment.
Today, 9 Investigates’ Shannon Butler asked Governor Ron DeSantis about the tension.
“They should fight for themselves,” the governor said.
And that’s exactly what they’re doing.
“They owe us an apology. What is their explanation?” another sheriff asked. “The Florida sheriffs and our governor — we all deserve an answer, respectfully. We don’t want to burn bridges, but somebody lit the fire on the other end.”
So far, ICE has not responded to requests for comment or clarification.
Notably, state agencies like the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) have not reported receiving the same recruitment emails, but we are still waiting on word from those agencies.
As of now, sheriffs across the state are still demanding answers and accountability and waiting for ICE to respond.
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