U.S. Customs and Border Protection will host a recruitment event this week at St. Petersburg’s Carillon Park Hilton Hotel. Liberal groups like Activists with Voices are calling on the Hilton to cancel the event, saying in one Facebook post that it encourages “kidnapping” of neighbors by federal enforcement agents. The same post says that protests will be held outside the hotel if the Hilton allows the event to continue.
Listed as “Tampa CBP Expo 2026” on CBP’s event calendar, the page for the two-day event says that attendees will talk with recruiters and have the option to apply on-the-spot for jobs with the agency. The event page says recruiters will be looking for CBP officers, air and marine interdiction agents, and U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Border Patrol has gained a reputation for being more aggressive than U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its immigration enforcement efforts. While ICE is known for raids, Border Patrol might be recognized by its more theatrical and violent tactics, like rappelling from helicopters into apartment complexes or jumping out of the back of U-Haul vans in Home Depot parking lots to conduct sweeps.
Border Patrol has jurisdiction to conduct warrantless searches within 100 miles of any U.S. land or water border. This includes the entirety of the state of Florida. So far, ICE and Border Patrol have largely avoided conducting showy raids in the Sunshine State, instead opting for collaboration with local law enforcement and state agencies like the Florida Highway Patrol.
CBP did not immediately respond to questions asking if this recruitment event is an attempt to increase Border Patrol numbers for raids and sweeps within the state.
The federal government has long struggled to gain control over Border Patrol, which has had a reputation for nearly a century as a rogue agency with a documented culture of silence and routine agent misconduct. Its runaway power, resistance to change and army-green uniforms have led to CBP officials calling the agency “The Green Monster.”
The Trump administration replaced about half of high-ranking ICE leaders with Border Patrol personnel last year in an attempt to ramp up aggressive enforcement, DHS officials told NBC.
Border Patrol’s figurehead is Gregory Bovino, who has been seen leading enforcement actions from New Orleans (where he is pictured above) to Chicago. One video shows Bovino throwing tear gas canisters in a residential Chicago neighborhood, even when the practice was temporarily banned.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photojournalist Dave Decker went to Chicago on assignment for Zuma Press last September to document protests against Border Patrol’s raids. While photographing, Decker was shot with pepper balls by individuals who appeared to be wearing Border Patrol uniforms.
Hilton Hotels recently removed one of its Minnesota locations from its system after the hotel allegedly refused to board ICE agents and the Department of Homeland Security applied pressure on X/Twitter. An ICE agent conducting operations in Minneapolis shot U.S. citizen Reneé Good the day following the Hilton’s alleged boarding refusal.
The Hilton at Carillon Park in St. Petersburg has not responded to questions asking if they plan to cancel the event.
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This article appears in Jan. 08 – 14, 2026.