A.G. Gancarski
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is announcing that every law enforcement member under his watch is now officially part of the fight against illegal immigration.
“Florida is serious about law and order, and this certification is another step forward. As a member of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, I’ve pushed for stronger coordination with our federal partners – and now our officers are even better equipped to take action when they encounter individuals breaking the law,” Simpson said of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE).
Agricultural law enforcement officials can identify, process, and detail suspected illegal immigrants under this program, allowing them to work in concert with other state law enforcement prioritizing the fight to remove foreign nationals in the state illegally.
“Florida’s law enforcement community is stronger and more connected than ever,” said OALE’s Colonel Lee Adams. “This certification ensures our officers have the training, resources, and authority they need to act swiftly and in coordination with federal partners.”
Some have raised concerns that the battle against illegal immigration would decimate Florida’s agricultural sector.
But Commissioner Simpson doesn’t agree.
“In Florida, the vast majority of our agriculture labor is H2A legal labor,” he said last month. “In the farm bill this year, we made it accessible to them to be able to build houses on those farms. So just because you drive by a field of people that may not look like you, that does not mean they’re illegal.”
The state has taken the lead in the battle against illegal immigration and the federal government has appreciated it, as seen most vividly by “Alligator Alcatraz” being instituted earlier this summer. Simpson’s efforts will serve to augment the larger state mission. And hauling in illegal workers in the weeks ahead apparently won’t affect the harvest of crops in the coming months and years.
4 comments
MarvinM
July 12, 2025 at 10:25 am
So, if in Florida as AG Comm Simpson claims, the vast majority of our agriculture labor is H2A legal labor*, then, can he ensure that none of those legal people will be swept up into places like Alligator Alcatraz and flown out to another country before they even have a chance to defend themselves by due process?
*that’s a quote from him, by the way. It’s in the article above. Wilton Simpson said the vast majority of our agriculture labor is H2A legal labor. So, they are legal, not illegal.
MH/Duuuval
July 12, 2025 at 12:34 pm
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2025/07/08/american-farmers-unauthorized-workers
This is the site for an excellent discussion on migrant farm labor in US that played on NPR this past week.
the program is On Point.
Trump and his followers are making a big mistake trying to run off working migrants, and not just in agriculture but in construction and other ares. Simpson should know this and act accordingly.
Ex-GOP
July 13, 2025 at 8:34 am
They care about lawbreakers!
Except if they’re the Governor.
Or his wife.
Or his Attorney General.
Harold Finch
July 13, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Wilty Simpson is the worst Agriculture Commissioner (AC) Florida has had, with maybe the exception of his predecessor! He has been running for Governor since the day he was elected AC, and very disliked in the Ag industry.
He ihas no personality and let’s his little “Ice Princess” Cathy Mears run the Department.
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