ICE offers big bucks — but California police officers prove tough to poach

['Sonja Sharp Is A Legal Affairs Reporter For The Los Angeles Times', 'A Founding Member Of The Society Of Disabled Journalists. Before Joining The Newsroom In', 'She Worked As An Nypd-Credentialed Member Of The New York City Press Corps', 'Writing Stranger-Than-Fiction Stories Of Crime', 'Culture For Vice', 'The Wall Street Journal', 'The Village Voice', 'Among Others. She Is A Bay Area Native', 'A Graduate Of Uc Berkeley', 'Columbia'] Los Angeles Times 2025-09-22 00:00:00

“In sanctuary cities, dangerous illegals walk free as police are forced to stand down,” the August recruitment ad warned over a sunset panorama of the Los Angeles skyline. “We’re not trying to pillage a bunch of officers from other agencies,” said Tim Oberle, an ICE spokesman. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at the Wilshire Federal Building in June in Los Angeles. The LAPD has drawn criticism for officers responding to the scenes of ICE arrests where confrontations have erupted. “The vast majority of peace officers do not want to do immigration enforcement because that’s not the job they signed up for,” Marvel said.