Florida officials divided over ICE deportation deal aimed at criminal aliens: 'Embarrassed for our city'

After President Donald Trump signed an enforcement bid targeting transgression migrants passim U.S. communities, 1 Florida city’s showdown with the politician has created a ripple effect passim the Sunshine State. 

Last month, a Fort Myers City Council gathering spiraled into chaos arsenic officials sparred implicit a proviso allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to bid section instrumentality officers to place transgression aliens and assistance successful deportation. 

ICE’s 287(g) programme aims to facilitate partnerships betwixt the national bureau and section cities passim the country. 

Fort Myers defies DeSantis 

City officials successful Fort Myers initially failed to walk the programme connected a 3-3 vote, with 1 subordinate not successful attendance, pursuing a heated gathering that near 2 members successful tears. 

FLORIDA CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TEAR UP AT VOTE OVER ICE PARTNERING WITH LOCAL OFFICERS

The metropolis of Fort Myers’ River District successful Fort Myers, Florida.  (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"I was embarrassed for our city," Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson told Fox News Digital. "I judge the residents of our metropolis privation enactment that is strong, tin perceive to the hard issues and marque decisions." 

Voicing their absorption connected the record, assembly members Darla Bonk and Diana Giraldo became visibly upset arsenic they denounced the program. 

"It is simply a tumultuous time and age, and this is simply a time I hatred to beryllium successful this seat," Bonk said, arsenic she noted the hazard of Fort Myers losing authorities and national funds. "But my metropolis is not for sale."

"I can't basal down this arsenic an immigrant, the lone migrant sitting [on] this council," Giraldo said.

Members of the Fort Myers City Council were not instantly disposable for comment. 

MAYORS, LOCAL OFFICIALS COULD FACE ARREST IF THEY DON'T COMPLY WITH TRUMP'S MASS DEPORTATIONS

Councilmember Darla Bonk wipes a teardrop from her oculus portion speaking against the memorandum of statement betwixt United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Fort Myers Police Department during a metropolis assembly gathering astatine Fort Myers City Hall successful Fort Myers, Florida connected March 17, 2025. Bonk voted against the memo.  (Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida)

Councilmember Diana Giraldo wipes a teardrop from her oculus during a metropolis assembly gathering astatine Fort Myers City Hall successful Fort Myers, Florida connected March 17, 2025. The assembly had to see a memorandum of statement betwixt United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Fort Myers Police Department. Giraldo voted against the memo. (Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida)

State officials took enactment of the city’s evident hesitation to enact the program, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier penning a missive to the metropolis assembly demanding it locomotion backmost its presumption oregon hazard ineligible action. 

Uthmeier said that by failing to enact the program, Fort Myers had inadvertently declared itself a sanctuary city, which is prohibited nether Florida law. 

"Failure to close the Council’s actions volition effect successful the enforcement of each applicable civic and transgression penalties," Uthmeier wrote. 

Suddenly, Fort Myers was thrust into the nationalist spotlight arsenic Gov. Ron DeSantis’ medication waited for officials to marque their adjacent move, threatening the nonaccomplishment of authorities and national funds. 

‘PROMPT REMOVAL’: TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks connected migration issues and signs a memorandum of knowing betwixt the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Highway Patrol during a roundtable lawsuit astatine Florida Gulf Coast University connected Jan. 29, 2025.  (Andrew West/The News-Press/USA Today Network)

"Under this 287(g), we’ve said each jurisdictions successful Florida indispensable assistance with migration enforcement," DeSantis said during an migration enforcement treatment astatine New College of Florida, 2 days aft Fort Myers failed to o.k. the agreement. "You saw this happening wherever the metropolis council’s warring the politician and the constabulary main astir whether [the] Fort Myers Police Department should beryllium progressive successful it." 

DeSantis went connected to accidental that, nether Florida law, each region and municipality wrong Florida indispensable participate an statement with ICE. 

"The past happening you privation is to person the politician and the lawyer wide astatine likelihood with your city," Anderson said. "I felt that we did make a de facto sanctuary city.  That’s not the connection we privation to send. [Our] connection is that we are a law-abiding assemblage and we don’t tolerate transgression behavior." 

FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS ICE PARTNERSHIP ONLY THE BEGINNING IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRACKDOWN

Mayor Kevin Anderson smiles portion walking astir aft a peculiar gathering to sermon a memorandum of statement betwixt United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Fort Myers Police Department astatine Fort Myers City Hall successful Fort Myers, Florida connected March 21, 2025. The memo passed 7-0.  (Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida)

Days later, the metropolis assembly called for a peculiar gathering and, successful a stunning about-face, voted unanimously to walk the memorandum. 

In effect to Fox News Digital’s petition for further information, the DeSantis medication referred to Communication Director Bryan Griffin’s social media station crediting the city’s reversal to DeSantis "insisting that the authorities passed successful [a] peculiar league includes authorization to region section officials who garbage to actively enactment successful migration enforcement." 

Anderson believes the metropolis assembly yet made the close decision.

"Our archetypal work is the extortion and information of our community," Anderson told Fox News Digital. "We are not bringing nationalist politics, oregon adjacent authorities politics, successful to bash this. We are focused connected our level connected however we support this metropolis harmless and growing." 

The Fort Myers Police Department did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment. 

TRUMP BORDER CZAR REVEALS ICE TEAMS ARE ALREADY ARRESTING ‘PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS’

Demonstrators protestation against the migration policies imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, arsenic Trump's motorcade departs his play nine successful West Palm Beach, Florida connected Feb. 8, 2025.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

South Miami fights backmost successful the courts 

But the high-profile showdown betwixt Fort Myers and the DeSantis medication was capable for different cities wrong Florida to crook to the courts for clarity, fearing the anticipation of ineligible retribution if section officials did not take to participate into an statement with ICE. 

In effect to Uthmeier’s informing to Fort Myers, the metropolis of South Miami, located successful Miami-Dade County, filed a civilian suit asking for clarity regarding officials’ obligations to motion an statement with ICE. 

"The Commission is acrophobic astir imaginable impacts resulting from the statement arsenic it relates to liability, security coverages and corporate bargaining agreements," Commissioner Steve Calle said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "Given these concerns, the City seeks to find whether signing the statement is simply a ineligible work oregon if it tin proceed supporting ICE operations nether existing authorities law, arsenic it presently does."

STATES FIRE BACK AGAINST ‘SANCTUARY’ RESISTANCE AS THEY RALLY AROUND TRUMP'S DEPORTATION EFFORTS

Incoming and outgoing migration detainees are processed astatine the Krome Service Processing Center successful Miami, Florida.  (Jack Gruber/USA Today)

The suit claims the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) has repeatedly sent retired emails "encouraging municipalities" to instrumentality the 287(g) statement nether the absorption of FDLE Executive Director of the State Board of Immigration Larry Keefe, with taxable lines expanding successful urgency from "Green Alerts" to, astir recently, "Red Alerts." 

"Many of the emails see listings and statistic arsenic to which agencies person executed 287(g) agreements, with the accusation that aboriginal ‘Red Alert’ emails whitethorn incorporate listings of agencies who person yet to motion 287(g) agreements," according to the lawsuit. 

FPCA and Keefe did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

Palm Beach County lays retired ‘targeted’ deportation attack successful airy of ceremonial ICE agreement 

Despite pushback from immoderate cities passim the state, different sheriffs' departments are falling successful line, looking to conscionable the DeSantis medication and their section communities successful the middle. 

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has vowed to instrumentality a much "targeted" attack portion complying with the 287(g) program. 

CNN ANCHORS MOMENTARILY SILENT AFTER LEARNING WHY MIGRANT GANGS DON’T STAY IN FLORIDA: ‘THERE YOU GO TO JAIL'

Left to right: Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Gov. Ron DeSantis, State Rep. Mike Caruso and FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass speech astir migration during a quality league astatine the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office Training Facility gymnasium successful unincorporated Palm Beach County, Florida connected Jan. 30, 2025.  (Thomas Cordy/The Palm Beach Post via USA Today)

"We person been moving with ICE for 10 to 12 years, truthful this is thing caller to us," Bradshaw told Fox News Digital. "It’s conscionable formalizing the program, due to the fact that we had an statement with [ICE] anyhow. We adjacent had an bureau successful the jailhouse for an ICE serviceman earlier the Biden medication canceled each that stuff."

Bradshaw is taking purpose astatine transgression aliens passim Trump’s location region of Palm Beach, focusing his efforts connected those who are a information to the assemblage successful an country with a ample migrant colonisation without doing migration sweeps. 

"It’s not wide deportation, it’s targeted deportation," Bradshaw said. "It targets pack members, MS-13, Tren de Aragua, cartels, radical that are wanted connected warrants for felonies oregon if we apprehension idiosyncratic who has committed a crime. It is not migration sweeps – we don't bash that, we won't bash it. This is strictly aft the atrocious guys successful the neighborhoods."

FLORIDA SHERIFF ASKS TRUMP'S ICE TO REMOVE BIDEN-ERA ‘SHACKLES’

Palm Beach Sheriff's Office Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and Gov. Ron DeSantis speech astir migration during a property league astatine the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office Training Facility gymnasium successful unincorporated Palm Beach County, Florida, connected Jan. 30, 2025. (Thomas Cordy/The Palm Beach Post via USA Today)

Currently, 39 states person astatine slightest 1 progressive statement successful place, with 4 facing restrictions owed to authorities law, 5 states with nary progressive agreements and 1 with pending agreements, according to ICE. 

Under an enforcement bid issued by Trump during his 2nd term, ICE is required to authorize authorities and section instrumentality enforcement officials to execute the duties of migration officers "to the maximum grade permitted by law." 

In February, DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida State Guard to comply with the 287(g) deportation functions. Additionally, each 67 of Florida's counties person signed agreements with ICE, but the aboriginal of municipalities wrong the authorities remains unclear. 

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"[ICE] values our ongoing moving narration with assorted Florida instrumentality enforcement agencies and recognizes the continued value of sharing accusation and coordinating operations with authorities and section instrumentality enforcement partners successful a mode that champion serves section needs and fulfills ICE’s important nationalist information and nationalist information mission," ICE said successful a connection to Fox News Digital.  

While uncertainty regarding the aboriginal of the programme continues to unreality the Sunshine State, section officials who stay successful lockstep with the Trump and DeSantis administrations judge ICE’s 287(g) programme is the reply to keeping their cities harmless from transgression aliens. 

"We’ve got to find a mode to cleanable this messiness up," Anderson told Fox News Digital. "For decades, the tin has been kicked down the road. We person got to get steadfast and [figure out] however we marque this work." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.