TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced that Florida Highway Patrol troopers could soon be trained and approved by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to perform immigration enforcement duties.
Speaking at the state’s Capitol in Tallahassee, DeSantis said Florida would be among the first states in the nation to request entry into a relevant agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which would allow state law enforcement officers to “finally be able to” cooperate with DHS via ICE’s 287(g) Program.
“This program authorizes ICE to delegate to state and local enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight. It also allows ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations to partner with state and local enforcement agencies to identify and remove already-incarcerated criminal aliens who are eligible for removal before they are released into our community,” DeSantis said.
News 6 spoke with the Farmworker Association of Florida after DeSantis' announcement.
“It’s disgusting, honestly. But it’s not surprising because, I mean, we know ever since with the 2070 agreements and the special session that they wanted to pass to make sure every county had that, we knew something like this could happen, right? Unfortunately, now it’s a reality,” Civic Engagement Coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida Rene Gomez said. “It’s a terrible decision.”
The Farmworker Association of Florida is a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of undocumented farmworkers and people that live in low-income and rural areas.
According to DeSantis, the agencies will be able to ask anyone about their citizenship status solely on suspicion.
“This agreement will give FHP expanded power and authority to interrogate any suspected alien or person believed to be an alien as to their right to be in in the United States if they are found to be in violation of proper immigration status. They will be further detained and processed for state or federal offenses,” he said.
“When you hear that, where does your mind go? What do you think?” News 6 Reporter Stephanie Rodriguez asked Gomez.
“I drive with a little Mexican flag right on my window on the car. Is that going to be enough? I’ve been here since I was three years old. I went to high school here, and went to college here. It’s so infuriating,” Gomez responded.
The governor said that FHP would also have the power to serve and execute warrants of arrest for immigration violations, as well as to administer oaths, prepare affidavits and statements for ICE supervisory review and take evidence including fingerprints, photographs and interviews for processing.
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“This is a deputization of state enforcement entities. It will allow, of course, our ongoing operations to continue, but it will also establish a permanent path forward for dealing with illegal migrants in police custody,” DeSantis said. “(...) This 287(g) agreement is the maximum amount of participation that we’ve been asked to do under federal law and with the Department of Homeland Security. We didn’t hesitate to step up and we will take advantage of this, and we will be strong partners. (...) We stand ready to help with some of our other agencies; that’ll be something that DHS can determine, whether they think it would be beneficial to have an FDLE, to have Fish and Wildlife, to use some of our State Guard or National Guard assets.”
While DeSantis said extensive training is needed before this can begin, Gomez told News 6 that even without state agencies, immigration enforcement is happening in our area.
“We got a report that Ice stopped [a man] on the road and immediately started speaking Spanish to him. ‘De donde eres?’ ‘Where you from?’ And the man’s ‘like, oh, I’m a U.S. citizen. Speak to me in English.’ So we’re already seeing these tactics,” Gomez explained.
He also reminds citizens and non-citizens to know their rights.
“You don’t have to answer any questions. They can threaten you, they can be aggressive towards you, but you have the right not to say anything. You have the right to not open the door unless they have a judicial warrant. We want to explain the difference between a judicial warrant and an immigration warrant because those two don’t give you the same power,” Gomez said.
“So they need a judicial one that has to be active, it has to be valid with the right address. We want to give them the knowledge that they don’t have to sign anything without a lawyer.”
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