FEDS February Newsletter

 

Immigration enforcement has become a major focus under the new administration, a change that affects many federal law enforcement officers and their job duties. The responsibility of managing the more than 7.6 million immigrants in the country without legal status currently falls on about 6,000 ICE deportation agents. According to the Trump administration, more agents are needed to carry out the administration’s immigration priorities. To fill this gap, agents from the U.S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are being deputized to assist with immigration enforcement.

 

The agents being deputized are highly trained in their specialized fields, but those fields do not necessarily include immigration enforcement. This is a materialization of the whole-of-government approach being taken by the current administration to address immigration concerns. These agents are tasked with not only arresting those who are not in the country legally but also finding a way to remove them from the country, a process that will be highlighted in the media and likely subject to many lawsuits. Vulnerable deputized special agents must protect themselves – a professional liability insurance (PLI) from FEDS Protection can help. 

 

 

Federal agents are concerned these deputizations could cause issues for law enforcement officers, adding to the problems that they are already working to solve. Carlos Archuleta, who served more than three decades in ICE, said, "Inter-agency competition is definitely a concern. So is exposure to civil rights violations, if you’re not familiar with the law."  For those being deputized, there can be concerns about the level of training they will receive and potential legal vulnerability because of their lack of knowledge and experience, which may lead to mistakes and efficiency issues.

 

The lack of specialized training of federal agents from other agencies could cause a knowledge gap amongst those tasked with immigration enforcement, creating a greater exposure to allegations of wrongdoing, which could lead to disciplinary actions and civil lawsuits. 

Any misstep in the handling of such high-profile tasks will lead to calls for accountability that may lead to allegations and investigations. Allegations and investigations can lead to suspensions, terminations, or even personal capacity lawsuits. If an allegation is made against you, it is a necessity, not luxury, to have knowledgeable and effective counsel advocating on your behalf.

 

As the professional liability insurance (PLI) provider endorsed by the leading federal law enforcement employee associations, FEDS Protection offers federal employee PLI policies with $1 million, $2 million, or $3 million in civil liability protection for attorney’s fees and indemnity costs in the event you are sued in your civil capacity.  The FEDS policy also includes $200,000 of legal representation coverage per incident for administrative actions and $100,000 of coverage for criminal defense costs.  

Annual premiums for FEDS Protection PLI start at $290.  Additionally, federal managers, supervisors, and law enforcement officers are eligible for a reimbursement of up to 50% the cost of their PLI policy through their agency. To learn more about how a FEDS PLI policy can protect you and your career, browse our site or call (866) 955-FEDS, M-F 8:30am-6pm to speak directly to a representative.

*This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

 

If yes, consider FEDS Protection for your government contracting insurance needs. At FEDS Protection, we also support Federal Contractors by providing insurance coverage specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of today's federal contractors, including Professional Liability, Defense Base Act Insurance, and Foreign Liability coverage.  In our experience, many small businesses need assistance in navigating the insurance portion of a government RFP.

 

The federal government is our specific focus and area of expertise. If you are looking to review your current or upcoming insurance needs, including the unique insurance requirements of any contract involving civilian employees overseas (requiring DBA Insurance and Foreign Liability coverage) please contact us at 866-955-FEDS (3337) or dmoylan@fedsprotection.com.

 

 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and promotes the awareness and prevention of sexual assault and harassment around the world. Egregious acts that range from sexual violence to the sharing of private images are crimes that can affect anyone and exists in our communities. 

 

While national reporting is underreported, nearly 36% of women and 29% of men in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. We are grateful for and proud to protect the federal employees across the country that fight against injustice. 

 

Testimonials

 

"I first heard of FEDS when I joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. (…) A few years later, I was promoted to a senior position in the Office. A friend who had been in the Office much longer than I had came into my office and asked me if I’d bought the insurance. I told him I’d never gotten around to it because I knew I’d never need it. He then laughed and told me that he was going to stand there and not leave my office until I went to the website and took the five minutes required to fill out the form and get the insurance. I told him, "Fine, I’ll do it,” then started to go back my work. I knew I’d eventually get around to it.

 

And then he just stood there. When I looked up, he told me that he wasn’t kidding—he was literally going to stand there until I bought it. So I caved, took out my credit card, filled out the form, and signed up with FEDS. Then he left. (…)

 

Now I’m the person who stands (figuratively) in my friends’ offices when they join the federal government and tell me they don’t need the insurance. Because in the end, just because you didn’t do anything wrong doesn’t mean the government can’t put you through a lengthy and expensive investigation to figure that out. That’s where FEDS comes in, and that’s the kind of good it does.”

-Justin Dillion (Partner) Dillon PLLC

 

Contact us if you or your agency are interested in a webinar or brochures that provide federal employees best practices on how to protect themselves with a federal employee professional liability insurance policy like those offered by FEDS Protection. FEDS Protection webinars are a valuable resource for learning more about the specific professional exposures of federal employees, PLI in general, and the FEDS Protection program. Check out our library via the link below to access content that speaks to your position in the federal government.