Florida Proposes Reinstating Program Allowing Local Authorities Officer to Perform Immigration Enforcement Duties

Florida has over the years positioned itself as a key ally to the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. Now, a new 37-page document submitted to the federal government emphasizes the Sunshine State’s strategy to fully support what the GOP promises will be the “largest deportation operation in American history.”

The new document explains Florida’s strategy in identifying, apprehending, detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Ultimately, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration hopes to ease pressures on federal partners like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Miami Herald reports.

“The purpose of this document is to put forward a road map for the significant role that the State of Florida can play in aiding the Federal government in combatting illegal immigration during the present emergencies and going forward into the future,” the document states.

The Sunshine State proposed to mobilize personnel and resources from a wide range of state agencies to support the Trump administration by sharing intelligence, transporting detainees and supporting federal agencies in actions, the Herald explains.

The state agencies proposed in the document include the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildfire Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida Department of Health.

Under the new plan, any public safety agency that operates a county jail must join the program, formally known as 287(g). The plan also states that enforcement missions can include law enforcement officers who are not 287(g) certified, as long as federal officers with proper authority are present.

Likewise, the state has identified locations where it can add temporary or long-term detention facilities. These locations, in northeastern and south-central Florida, were chosen for their proximity to airstrips, and can be rapidly converted with the help of 12 state-contracted emergency logistics vendors.

The blueprint proposal notes that each site can be set up within 72 to 96 hours to meet ICE’s National Detention Standards, offering food, hygiene, laundry, medical care and even pharmacy services. The facilities would be designed to house up to 10,000 undocumented individuals, if needed, making them a massive force multiplier for federal detention capacity.

The document also reintroduces a voluntary self-deportation program aimed at undocumented individuals with no criminal record. The Florida Division of Emergency Management would manage the logistics, which includes arranging flight tickets and ensuring all necessary legal documentation is processed.

Immigration advocates and experts have criticized the program, which was created under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act and has been used in different cities across the country.

Juan Cuba, a Board member for the Miami Freedom Project, an organization that advocates for immigrant and racial justice in South Florida told CNN, “287(g) agreements are fundamentally at odds with the goals of local policing.”

“They erode community trust in local law enforcement and make it less likely for people who are undocumented, or families of mixed status, to call 911 or report crimes,” Cuba said Sunday. “These agreements also redirect limited resources that could be focused on serious crimes. 287(g) makes us all less safe.”