(PENSACOLA, F.L.) --- Pensacola Police Department (PPD) denies participating in most 287(g) incentives available with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agreement policy.
At every city council meeting, Pensacola residents raise questions regarding Flock cameras and the abuse of surveillance systems nationwide. Police Chief Eric Winstrom addressed the public a couple of months ago, assuring citizens the city’s contract with Flock was essential for local safety.
His words did not console; rather, they raised more questions for citizens who continue to challenge officials on the local cameras and the 287(g) agreement. Harper Cummings is one of those citizens.
“The PPD's 287(g) agreement with ICE is dangerous and completely against their stated mission to protect the public,” Cummings said. “Throughout Florida and the country, these agreements are used to expand ICE's ability to terrorize our community.”
But the PPD disagrees.
OpGov.News reached out to the department, asking five specific questions about the agreement. Public Information Officer Mike Wood replied with one-word answers.
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(Photo: Email correspondence between OpGov.News and the Pensacola Police Department)
1. Does Pensacola participate in the Task Force Model, the most comprehensive part of the 287 agreement that offers additional incentives?
Yes.
2. Does the Pensacola Police Department offer bonuses based on how many undocumented citizens are found?
No.
3. Does the Pensacola Police Department receive money for new vehicles and equipment under the agreement?
No.
4. Are 287 funds used to purchase body armor, license plate readers, and fingerprint scanners?
No.
5. Lastly, how much money has the Pensacola Police Department received under the agreement in 2026?
None
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(Photo: Email correspondence between OpGov.News and the Pensacola Police Department)
Though the PPD answers should calm citizens, they do not, according to Raylene Solis.
“As taxpayers of Pensacola, it is abhorrent that we are subsidizing the operations of a federal agency whose mandate is to profile and criminalize immigrants racially, has been responsible for the deaths of people of varying citizenship status, and directly fuels exploitative labor,” Solis said.
Cummings said unlike with the county, the PPD had no obligation to enter into or continue in this agreement, so there's no excuse for why it hasn't been dismantled.
“ICE should be abolished, and until that time our city should be giving no support whatsoever to this racist institution,” Cummings said. “We're living in a state where our governor spent half a billion dollars in disaster relief money to kidnap our neighbors and imprison them in a torture site in the Everglades.”
Cummings points to facts to prove her point.
“We have historically low school attendance, which the State of Florida itself recognizes is largely due to people's fears of ICE,” Cummings said.
National Public Radio (NPR) confirms the same. A January report states “the state's most recent estimate for K-12 enrollment dropped by more than 46,000 students.”
“An explanation the report pointed to is the decrease of 17,312 students who are learning English as their second language (ESOL),” NPR reports.
Solis said the PPD 287(g) agreement is a dangerous collaboration with ICE that should never have been instated and should end as soon as possible.
“Not cooperating with ICE is the least our local authorities could do to protect the residents of Pensacola,” Solis said.
This Thursday, August 13, residents will line up at the podium to speak against Flock and ICE. They will not get the luxury of one-word answers; rather, silence will meet their fears like every other week.
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