(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner quietly signed a federal 287(g) agreement last month, reversing a long-standing and publicly stated position against the program, and did so without any announcement to the public, a move that has fueled accusations that the decision was driven by political calculation rather than principle.
When Zoerner first ran for sheriff more than three years ago, he campaigned on a clear promise to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to enter into a 287(g) agreement. The pledge was emphasized to Republican voters and law-and-order conservatives and helped distinguish him during the campaign.
Zoerner’s subsequent opposition to ICE cooperation, however, closely mirrored positions he had taken years earlier when he previously ran for sheriff as a Democrat. During that earlier campaign, Zoerner was publicly photographed attending a liberal women’s rally while wearing a pink “vagina hat,” an image that circulated widely at the time and became emblematic of his alignment with progressive activist politics. Critics say his refusal to cooperate with ICE after being elected as a Republican was far more consistent with those earlier views than with the promises he made on the campaign trail.
Once elected, Zoerner took the opposite position from what he had pledged to voters. From the moment he was sworn into office until December 2025, he declined to participate in the 287(g) program, repeatedly asserting that non-participation was in the county’s best interest. In September 2025, his office issued a formal press release announcing that Kenosha County would not join the program, a decision that was reported by the Kenosha News and publicly framed as a deliberate policy choice.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Behind the scenes, multiple political observers and party activists say Zoerner’s stance was heavily influenced by County Executive Samantha Kerkman, who has long functioned as his de facto campaign manager and top political adviser. Kerkman, herself a career politician, has also served as a key legal and strategic counselor to the sheriff, despite holding a separate elected office.
According to several Republicans familiar with internal discussions, Kerkman repeatedly advised Zoerner that entering into a 287(g) agreement would be “career suicide” and warned that formal cooperation with ICE would damage his re-election prospects. Those sources say Kerkman urged Zoerner to avoid the program entirely and to maintain public opposition to it, advice he followed throughout most of his term.
That calculation reportedly changed late last year. After Kerkman learned she would not face an opponent in her own upcoming election, critics say she signaled to Zoerner that he could proceed with signing the 287(g) agreement. While Zoerner did not legally need Kerkman’s authorization to act, party insiders described her approval as decisive given her role as his closest political adviser and strategist.
On Dec. 18, Zoerner signed the 287(g) agreement without any press release, public notice, or explanation to county residents. The reversal remained hidden for weeks and only became public after an inquiry directly tied to the announcement of Captain James Beller’s candidacy for sheriff. Zoerner disclosed the signing exclusively to the Kenosha News, a fading, left-leaning outlet widely viewed as struggling financially and facing an uncertain future. Critics say the disclosure was not an act of transparency but a political necessity, made only because Beller had publicly pledged to sign a 287(g) agreement himself, leaving Zoerner unable to keep the reversal secret.
The timing and manner of disclosure have drawn criticism from across the Republican Party, with detractors arguing the issue is not immigration policy but credibility and trust.
Beller response
Kenosha County Eye emailed the Captain James Beller campaign Friday seeking comment, and Beller responded with a written statement sharply criticizing both the reversal and the lack of disclosure.
“In September, the Sheriff chose to publicly announce that he was not going to participate in 287(g),” Beller wrote. “When he later reversed that position and signed the agreement on December 18, the public was not told, there was no press release, no public notice, and no explanation until weeks later when the media asked about it.”
Beller said the sheriff’s silence undermined public confidence.
“If a decision is important enough to announce one way, it is important enough to announce when it changes,” Beller wrote. “Kenosha County deserves leadership that is transparent, accountable, and upfront about major public safety decisions.”
He added that the issue went beyond a single policy choice.
“This was not a minor administrative decision, this was a major public safety policy that the Sheriff had previously made a point of announcing publicly,” Beller wrote. “The failure to disclose the reversal speaks for itself.”
Voter backlash
The controversy has also sparked anger among voters who say Zoerner broke his word almost immediately after taking office.
“I voted for Sheriff Zoerner because I believed that he would cooperate with ICE, and he didn’t,” said one Kenosha County voter who requested anonymity. “He even released a statement that the Kenosha News wrote about, saying he decided against ICE cooperation. He was letting illegals go out of the jail against the wishes of ICE. I’m not going to be fooled again just because he decides to reverse course after he learns he’s having an opponent. I’m voting for Captain James Beller, who I believe will make good on his promises and not play games due to politics.”
Track record under scrutiny
Zoerner’s decision comes after years of controversy involving ICE detainers and releases from the Kenosha County Jail. In one high-profile case, Edson Martinez-Pacheco was released from custody in November 2025 after posting bail, despite an active ICE detainer and despite ICE being notified and en route to take him into federal custody. Zoerner later acknowledged the detainer but defended the release, arguing that an ICE hold alone is not a judicial warrant and does not authorize continued detention.
That explanation did little to satisfy critics, who pointed to the case as emblematic of what they described as a broader pattern of resistance to meaningful cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Other Kenosha County Eye reporting documented additional instances in which individuals flagged by ICE were released after posting bail, fueling public frustration and repeated calls for a policy shift.
Against that backdrop, Zoerner’s sudden decision to sign the 287(g) agreement, after years of publicly rejecting it, struck many observers as politically timed rather than principled.
Election pressure
Within Republican circles, Zoerner’s handling of the issue has intensified concerns that he governed for years in direct contradiction of his campaign promises and only reversed course when it became clear his stance could jeopardize his re-election. Critics say Kerkman’s central role in shaping that strategy underscores how deeply political considerations influenced the sheriff’s actions.
Several longtime Republicans told Kenosha County Eye they were angered not only by the initial abandonment of the 287(g) pledge, but by what they view as an attempt to quietly correct it without accountability once a serious challenger emerged.
Zoerner has said the signing did not represent a policy change and has maintained that his office has always cooperated with ICE to the extent allowed by law. Critics counter that the public record shows otherwise, noting that he spent most of his term openly opposing formal participation in 287(g) despite having campaigned on the opposite promise.
For Beller and other critics, the issue has become emblematic of a larger problem.
“This isn’t about left or right,” Beller wrote. “It’s about whether the Sheriff does what he says he’s going to do, and whether he tells the public when he changes course.”
As the spring election approaches, the once-quiet 287(g) issue has become a focal point of the race, reopening questions about Zoerner’s credibility, consistency, and willingness to stand by the promises that helped put him in office.
69 Responses
I voted for Zoerner and deeply regret it. I will NOT be voting for him in the spring election! You can’t trust him. What he did secretly was the last straw!
I guess it depends on who is running against him if he makes it to the final election. I can’t stand the guy, but I am pleased if indeed he will be cooperating with ice. Maybe he had an epiphany on the road to Damascus.
James Beller all the way
same here!
Dump Flim-Flam Sheriff Elmer Fuddster.
Good for him. I could care less about politics. He came to the right decision. Maybe there is more to it behind the scenes.
It is “Couldn’t care less.” What you wrote means you deeply care about politics. The argument “You knew what I meant.” does not hold up in court.
The commentary shows that your readers are not aware of what it means to cooperate with ICE. There are so many nuances that have to dealt with to house those individuals, which is why the county got from underneath that blanket in the first place.
you are such an idiot
I agree, at least he woke up and did the right thing.
Resign
Zoerner is done. Bye Bye!
Too little, too late, adios.
Hopefully he’s not setting the stage for another summer of love if ICE starts collecting illegals from KCDC. In the event there’s more paid agitators protesting here again, will local law enforcement back up federal law enforcement? I don’t want to see fencing around buildings, cops standing like statues behind shields and pallets of riot supplies staged like last time. When rioters for George Floyd were here handled it well. The Jacob Blake rioters were given a “playground” to cause havoc. I recommend water cannons and mass arrests if there’s a next time.
I recommend a bounty on anyone neutralized while destroying property or looting. Enough is enough.
A bounty should be offered for identifying officials who instruct local law enforcement not to cooperate with or assist ICE operations conducted in our county. Shielding non‑cooperation enables the continued presence of undocumented individuals with criminal records, despite clear federal enforcement mechanisms designed to address them
Maybe don’t be scared to stand behind your words if you want to have opinions and see something done.
He is such an ass
Hole
Yes!
I couldn’t come up with a term so I agree with yours 100%
Captain Beller has my vote. Zoerner can go do his side job as a realtor.
The last thing local law enforcement needs is to get cozy with those murderers at ICE.
Do like the MSM says and ignore your lying eyes. Maybe you should go back down to your mom’s basement and lay next to your bowl to watch more MSNOW. Contact Jasmine Crockett for further inspiration.
A car is a weapon if driven at a human. Unless it’s not. If not, see all u clowns witung bumpers reach soon (peaceful bumper)
Our Republican Party Organization here is So Weak !!
Regardless that on paper Sam is a Republican in reality she is a weak one at best and a RINO at worst.
For our own Party Organization to not be more involved, aggressive and invested in recruiting Solid Challengers to all aspects of politics in Kenosha including County Executive is Sad !!
Sam was vulnerable this year.
Whoever thought of running against her and didn’t missed a great chance !
My wife looked into running. We talked to some employees, pulled info, and hired an attorney to assist us. We hired an advisor who had previously on some campaigns in IL.
We’re seeing more claims from hiring inexperienced staff, and those are only going to go up- especially since neighboring municipalities are upping the stakes to recruit and retain quality, while Kenosha is not- in the name of keeping taxes from going up. Turnover at KCSO, Brookside and the entirely of DPW is such that we could have hired a whole new staff in the past five years- I’m not saying we DID hire a whole new staff, I’m saying that the number of people who have left equals nearly the entire population of the departments.
The county is a mess. Turnover rates are high, and although Sam has managed to keep taxes from skyrocketing, in a year or two, her decisions are going to create some very big problems. This last budget was very lean, and in order to make it look good, her next budget is either going to cause taxes to skyrocket or will require cuts that are going to cause taxpayer services to suffer greatly. My theory is that Gentz isn’t running again because, as finance chair, he doesn’t want his name to be associated with the eventual inevitable crash.
In summation: Sam can deal with her own mess. Anyone who would have run against her could have won, but would have a very big mess on their hands.
The picture seems to be gone, now, but…
Let’s not forget about the picture of the Women of the Republican Party of Kenosha County, heavily made up, in too-short, extremely immodest dresses, surrounding and leaning up against a certain married Fair Board President, in the beer barn, at the 2025 fair.
The RPKC is not the party of respectable, conservative family values in Kenosha County.
The left certainly isn’t, either. But— if you stand for conservative family-first values, family-focused principles— RPKC doesn’t have your back. Maybe your husband’s… but not yours.
High time for a true coalition that truly represents our values and standards. No more uniparty. No more RINOs. No more subversion. The writing is on the wall.
Hey don’t hate the player hate the game —- at least he did it ….. yah I’m gonna vote for the other guy , but I would definitely buy Zoerner a couple donuts or better yet a delicious Kringle
😂😂😂
Beller isn’t some Johnny come lately. He had character back in the early 2000’s getting his bachelor degree at Concordia University and he wasn’t running for any office.
Beller is the real deal!
Hope the voters put him in this most important constitutional office in counties!
Another Kenosha officer with a real college degree. Good for him! Why is it that former Chief of Police and current city administrator John Morrissey can still keep his job with his fake degree?
He’s part Somalian?
How would we know this info without Kevin👍🏻
Every administrative leader in this county from the clown show that is Samantha Kerkman to this fat gay sheriff is putrid. Kenosha county bozos
Gotta start from square zero. Square one is not gonna cut it. It’s all gotta go. The only people who fear this are the ones balls deep in this rancid corruption.
Somehow I missed that Zoerner used to be a Democrat, and, to make
things worse, actually wore a stupid vag hat, a clear signal that he is
mentally ill and brainwashed. I take the blame for not doing enough
research on him. Never again.
Legacy media has not exposed anything like KCE does.
I won’t say ever but in these times hardly ever and who else is going to show us who these marginal Republicans are ?
If KCE wasn’t telling us, who would ?
Our party needs a backbone. A process to vet all candidates claiming to be Republican.
A tally sheet on doing the right things and keeping their promises would be a start
Good points.
As my above post states, I take full responsibility for not doing
enough research but I also wonder if our local county Republican
group vetted Zoerner? Did they expose his Democrat past?
Do they vet all candidates, exposing questionable
things about candidates?
Don’t worry.
Erin Decker, the biggest rhinoceros in the RINO herd, supports Zoerner, so he’s gotta be great.
Dump FAF sheriff .. Kerkman is next
I’m disappointed by the lack of integrity and transparency. I won’t fault anyone for being skeptic about cooperation with the federal government. I have decades of law enforcement experience and more often than not with the feds it’s a one-way street in their direction. Of course we should cooperate with enforcement actions against criminal illegal aliens but ICE detainers also include administrative actions and not warrants signed by a judge. Who protects the county and the sheriff from liability if the detention is found to be unlawful? That’s a serious question. Frankly, many federal officers don’t amount to a pimple on the ass of a good cop. If the county and sheriff are indemnified in the 287(g) agreement, fine. But if not maybe it was the right thing to do to NOT sign it. But the sheriff can’t have it both ways. If he came out and said, “I won’t sign it because on the advice of legal counsel the agreement does not do enough to protect the county, me and my staff from liability” then more power to him for telling it like it is. But this back door b.s. doesn’t cut it.
Great point- What changed and why weren’t the taxpayers informed in a timely manner?
Excellent point, but would you give the same answer to Laken Riley’s parents? My point would be that if the arrest and incarceration were lawful then so are the ICE detainers. The immigration reform act of 1996 signed into law by Bill Clinton allows for non-judicial deportation…….no judges signature needed. Detain and deport. Clinton deported over 12 million and without any injunctions or protests. All this fuss is a mental disorder called TDS.
Not quite. Deportations are a federal responsibility. And, as such, they are free to rely on federal resources.
It’s not asking on local resources to put dibs on a prisoner, I’m sure the three hats and a cat would be reimbursed if they sat there for a day on a retainer. It’s absolutely criminal for a sheriff to let someone with a federal warrant back out on the street to continue the behavior that got them the warrant in the first place.
If there is an action brought for unlawful detention the custodian of the prisoner becomes the defendant. There are federal criminal warrants and federal administrative warrants. The concern about ICE administrative “detainers” are that they are not warrants authorized by a judge or court and there is no specific legal duty for any local sheriff to become involved. The word “duty” is key. The other key word is “indemnification” which means if a suit is brought against the sheriff relating to an ICE prisoner will the feds pick up all the legal costs. The devil is in the details.
All the responsibilities and assignments associated with Sheriff Zoerners position are too much. He manages to keep the community safe and quiet too. He is well accomplished. Yall being petty . Try being grateful for a job well done.
I look forward to reading about this in 2 weeks in the Kenosha News.
how about “no sheriff”? Seriously, shut down the entire department. most cities, villages, and towns already have a police force. is crime so bad that you need two?
You clearly
Have no clue.
Salem doesn’t have a department !
They had one, or called what they had years ago a “police department”. Just so Shortess could drive around with lights, sirens annd a badge. And how did that work out ?
Remember the “deputy” who got dead driving a town “saftey vehicle” on 50 and wrecked it ?
Off duty. No call in to say why he was doing a 100 mph or more. Wrecked and died.
https://www.westofthei.com/2016/07/11/salem-public-safety-chief-praises-ventura-as-good-officer-and-asks-public-for-time-for-grieving-and-investigation/58218
Silver Lake had a department until they didn’t.
Lots of reasons there. Wasn’t just about money.
We need the sheriff department. If for nothing else than to keep these small villages from having small corrupt departments.
Salem actually had a police department in the 1970s and disbanded it. There was years later an attempt to make the town code enforcement officer function more than it was intended to be as noted above.
The attack on the Silver Lake Police Department is off base. Over the years there were some “local yokels” but also some good police chiefs, including Ed Nowicki and Dan Kingsley.
Go away. How can we miss you if you won’t go away?.
Sam Kerkman is a fucking disaster. She, besides being a slob, is a turncoat, two faced, lying bitch. Zoerner is a fat ass slovenly hack.
I’ve known Jimmy for quite a while. Good decent guy and not a game player.
Sam is not qualified for anything, hence she is a career .gov pig, sucking at the public trough.
So please list your top five grievances with Sam. The county appears to be running smoothly and the county taxes have held the line. I think Sam figured she has to govern all the people and work together for the good of Kenosha County. She has done that.
List five things that she has done that are in line with conservative Republicans.
Zoerner , just like David Beth , claimed to be a Republican to get those votes . They both lied.
I get what you’re saying.
But maybe the county as a who’s sooooo democratic that just to work “with” everyone you get caught up in the drag to the bottom.
Hard to say. A dirty thankless job no matter who you are
I voted for him but not this time around. he lied to me two times about things
You can do anything you want to make yourself look better. But you freed an illegal alien who was deemed a risk to national security. Want to redeem yourself? Then get out there and haul him back before he kills someone—because that blood would be on your hands too.
Johnny-come-lately.
I will support Sheriff Zoerner ‼️💯
I think he just trying to protect Kenosha people from being killed by ICE like they have on other Americans getting caught in the crossfire. It cuz end up to the people u love while everyone around screaming that person deserves it when u say the opposite. Protect ur family n friends even ur children. They attacking the schools n scaring the children n 1 or many of these kids could end up getting hurt because “federal” ICE dont care about ur kids. Do u all want the Black Panthers because this is all about racism n a bribery check with a loaded gun privileges? Watch when all ur corner stores shutsdown n ur cheap cigarettes n great deals r gone with them.
You should move to Minnesota. Many members of your tribe are there, Chief. Today, they called for the expulsion of all federal forces from the state. You’ll feel safer there, Pedro.
Too little too late Fat Boy!
Entertainment would be seeing Fatboy in his pussy hat
Has not aged very well