Ana Ceballos
An organization that has earned its reputation for going after white supremacist and hate groups said Wednesday it is demanding more information on the recent deal struck between federal immigration authorities and 17 Florida sheriffs departments.
Under the agreement, ICE agreed to pay participating sheriffs departments to hold undocumented immigrants who may be eligible for deportation for up to 48 hours. The deal would make local authorities service providers for the federal government.
Citing limited information about this new process, Southern Poverty Law Center sent public records requests seeking details about the partnership to the 17 sheriffs’ offices and a Freedom of Information Act request to ICE.
“ICE and the Florida Sheriffs cannot simply contract their way around the Constitution,” said Lisa Graybill, deputy legal director for SPLC.
The ‘sanctuary city’ debate has been a controversial one in the state, which has a high immigrant population and is governed by a Republican-controlled state Legislature that has considered hard-line immigration proposals in recent years.
The issue has also engulfed the gubernatorial race and has prompted House Speaker Richard Corcoran — a likely gubernatorial candidate — to call on federal prosecutors to investigate Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman for advocating for so-called “sanctuary” policies.
While there are currently no sanctuary cities in the state, local authorities have been reluctant to hold undocumented inmates past their scheduled release times. Several courts have ruled the practice unconstitutional.
“The law is clear that local jails must have a legal basis to hold an individual, and absent that, they may face expensive lawsuits,” Graybill said.
The Florida Sheriffs’ Association touted the new partnership with federal authorities as a “liability protection” and said there is potential to expand in the “very near future” to other parts of the state. Mike Adkinson, the president of the association, says the agreement allows members to “faithfully execute public safety duties.”
Graybill, however, said the partnership “has nothing to do with keeping our communities safe,
“In fact, such efforts will discourage many victims or witnesses of crime from coming forward and communicating with the police, which will reduce public safety for everyone,” she added.
