Latest news with #StateBoardofImmigrationEnforcement
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida has a ‘blueprint' to curb illegal immigration. Here's what's in it.
Florida officials have created and submitted to the federal government a 37-page plan that outlines one of the nation's most aggressive policies to curb illegal immigration. The document, called the Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, details how the state should carry out mass deportations and serves as an example for other states across the nation. Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, has another name for it: the Florida Blueprint. 'We can do more,' Keefe said Monday in Tampa. 'We have more capacity, more capability.' The plan says it's 'a road map for the significant role that the state of Florida can play in aiding the federal government in combating illegal immigration during the present emergencies and going forward into the future.' Details of the plan were first reported Thursday by the news service Gannett. Among the plan's goals: Enhance intelligence collection and analysis by leveraging existing state databases and coordination between agencies. It includes providing resources for immigration and border security efforts at all levels. Florida has deployed representatives from an array of agencies, including the Division of Emergency Management, Department of Corrections and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to support the intelligence-sharing operations. The plan aims to develop a comprehensive strategy to maintain state-led border security operations in the absence of federal support. According to the plan, Florida has approximately 47,000 law enforcement officers who have already received, or are in the process of obtaining, training and certification to act as immigration officers under the 287(g) program, which allows local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. At an event in Tampa on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that 100 Florida Highway Patrol troopers have been sworn in as special deputy U.S. Marshals, a designation that allows them to act and operate with the same powers as an immigration agent. DeSantis said Florida can be an example for other states in fighting illegal immigration. 'If you look nationwide at all the law enforcement agencies that have entered in 287(g) agreements with the federal government, more than half of them are in one state. Guess what state that is? The state of Florida,' DeSantis said. The plan also considers training judge advocate generals as immigration judges through the Florida National Guard. It proposes suspending federal detention standards to avoid the risk that many could be released due to limited detention space, and to increase the state's capacity to arrest people. The plan proposes building more detention centers in parts of northeastern and south-central Florida, with the capacity to hold up to 10,000 people. These temporary or long-term facilities, selected for their access to nearby airstrips, could be constructed and 'fully operational within 72 hours,' using a network of about a dozen private contractors already working with the state, the plan indicates. The plan adds that Florida should prepare to move forward on its own, 'independently of the Department of Homeland Security,' and create a state-run immigration enforcement effort. The plan outlines some costs associated with transporting immigrants. One option: Purchasing and modifying 12-passenger vans at a cost of up to $124,000. Others include leasing a fleet of buses for about $1.5 million, or vans for nearly $780,000, over a two-week period. Florida National Guard or state law enforcement officers could be tapped to transport immigrants to detention facilities. The blueprint reintroduces the idea to run a self-deportation program and create some ways for the state government to cover the costs of people who choose to leave the country voluntarily. The Division of Emergency Management, it states, may be able to help purchase commercial flights for eligible individuals. The plan said that the state should seek reimbursement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for any transportation and removal efforts involving detainees. But it also acknowledges that it may not be fully repaid. 'The federal government has shown itself to be very hesitant to commit to any form of reimbursement to past or future immigration operations,' the plan reads. 'There may come a time when, without federal assistance, a long-term immigration support mission may become fiscally untenable.' Lisette Sanchez, an immigration attorney in Tampa, said the Florida plan is alarming not only from a constitutional and legal standpoint, she said, but also from a humanitarian and operational perspective. Sanchez recognized the importance of addressing immigration challenges. However, she said the Florida plan raises 'serious concerns.' 'This approach appears to blur the lines between state and federal authority, potentially leading to constitutional conflicts and due process issues,' said Sanchez.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State officials discuss how FHP officers are now making immigration arrests
Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, speaking in Tampa on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix) Gov. Ron DeSantis and other government officials held a news conference in Tampa on Monday to discuss immigration arrests made last week by the Florida Highway Patrol, which for the first time has that authority. The Legislature passed and DeSantis signed legislation in February that allows local and state law enforcement agencies to enter into what are known as 287 (g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to execute immigration enforcement inside Florida. Master Sergeant Joshua Malloy with the Troop C Criminal Interdiction Unit of the Florida Highway Patrol said on Monday that troopers 'executed an operations enforcement operation' in Tampa last week that resulted in the apprehension of 30 undocumented immigrants in just over an hour. 'While this was the first operation featured on national news, it was part of a much larger effort where state troopers were working either independently or directly with the federal government to enforce federal and state laws,' Malloy added. That 'national news' that Malloy referred to was how the FHP gave exclusive access to a Fox News reporter on a ride-around last week to report on the operation, which featured footage of an FHP officer running after a man on I-4 after 'his legal status was questioned,' according to the reporter. 'During this operation, three undocumented aliens fled from one of our traffic stops and ran across several lanes on I-4,' Malloy said — adding that, after the man was caught, he was transported to the Hillsborough County jail and 'charged with felony burglary amongst other charges.' Working with ICE last month in a statewide operation labeled 'Operation Tidal Wave,' several Florida law enforcement agencies helped arrest more than 1,100 undocumented immigrants. That will now become the 'new normal,' according to Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement. 'Florida was kind of like a pushy partner,' Keefe added at the press conference. 'We can do more. We have more capacity, more capability.' He displayed a 37-page document that he labelled the 'Florida blueprint' to achieve the mass deportations goal issued by the Donald Trump White House. Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said that the FHP is 'the first in the nation to be delegated federal enforcement authority in the immigration space,' adding that 1,800 state troopers have been credentialed and delegated federal immigration enforcement authority. 'What that means is that if you see a state trooper, he or she has federal authority to detain, investigate, apprehend, and deport,' he said, adding that those troopers have been in some way involved in the arrests of more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants in Florida this year. DeSantis said that approximately 70,000-80,000 undocumented immigrants have already appeared before immigration judges in Florida. He referred to a proposal under consideration that if approved by the federal government would allow Florida National Guard military judge advocates to serve as immigration judges, establishing temporary detention facilities and providing transportation. Along with the FHP, Florida law enforcement agencies that have signed collaboration agreements with ICE include the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida State Guard, the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to an announcement by DeSantis in February. Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit last week of a decision by a federal judge in South Florida to block the law (SB 4-C) passed in February that bars undocumented people in the U.S. from entering the state. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida has suspended enforcement of the law but Uthmeier has said he won't tell state or local law enforcement officials to stop apprehending undocumented migrants, despite the fact that the judge has said she could hold him in contempt later this month. DeSantis has said he stands by Uthmeier's decision. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE raids, mass deportation are 'the new normal,' modeled after Florida
Florida officials called Operation Tidal Wave, where over 1,000 migrants were detained in five days, the "new normal." And not just for the Sunshine State, but for the rest of the country. Within the next 60 days, the federal government will attempt to put into practice an approach to mass deportation that's "strikingly similar" to Operation Tidal Wave, said Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, at a press conference in Tampa May 12. "The techniques, the methods … will be the standard that our brother and sister states apply in the effort," he said. At the lectern, Keefe showed off a 37-page document that he called the "Florida blueprint" to mass deportation. The State of Florida Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, he said, will be the "prototype." "Operation Tidal Wave" was a week-long sting by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Florida law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security that targeted areas with high-immigrant populations. It led to the arrest of more than 1,100 people, include a man who had no known criminal record and had recently played Jesus in his church's Easter play. According to records reviewed by the Miami Herald, authorities aimed to detain 800 people in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and the cities of Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Stuart, Tallahassee and Fort Myers. On May 9, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that established "Project Homecoming": "Either leave the United States voluntarily, with the support and financial assistance of the federal government, or remain and face the consequences," the proclamation states. And the proclamation states that, on July 8, the Secretary of Homeland Security "shall supplement existing enforcement and removal operations by deputizing and contracting with State and local law enforcement officers, former federal officers, officers and personnel within other federal agencies, and other individuals to increase the enforcement and removal operations force of the Department of Homeland Security by no less than 20,000 officers in order to conduct an intensive campaign to remove illegal aliens who have failed to depart voluntarily." Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Director Dave Kerner said 1,800 Florida Highway Patrol troopers are credentialed with 287(g) enforcement authority and Florida's law enforcement already makes up 10% of the 20,000 officers mentioned in the proclamation. "If you see a state trooper, he or she has federal authority to detain, investigate, apprehend and deport," Kerner said. The Florida Highway Patrol has assisted or has been the primary arresting agency in over 1,020 immigrants who were in the country illegally, he added. Gov. Ron DeSantis, also at the Tampa event, said Florida is leading the country but other states need to do more: "There may be a lot of somersaults along the way by some of these guys; there may be some gnashing of teeth for some people in the process, but I imagine we're going to land basically where we need to land as a state," he said. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ICE raids, mass deportation 'new normal' in Florida and the nation
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illegal immigration debate erupts over TPD's role in ICE cooperation agreement
The Tallahassee Police Department has agreed to join the statewide crackdown on illegal immigration, which ignited a testy email conversation between the city manager and a city commissioner. Larry Keefe, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida who is now serving as head of the new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, on Tuesday announced that the board created an accountability dashboard to ensure local law enforcement is in compliance with Florida's newest immigration laws. 'This reporting system will provide a direct channel for officers and employees to report any failure by their agency to comply with Florida's immigration enforcement policies,' Keefe said in a statement. 'Let there be no misunderstanding – Florida law will be enforced." Last week, TPD signed a memorandum of agreement, a written document outlining a cooperative relationship between two or more parties, detailing its commitment to helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) round up illegal immigrants. The memorandum allows for select officers to carry out functions of an immigration officer such as the power to interrogate "any alien or person believed to be an alien," arrest any alien entering or attempting to enter the country without a warrant and take and maintain custody of aliens, according to the document. Any law enforcement officer not using "their best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law is in violation of Florida statute and is subject to penalties and judicial proceedings by the Attorney General, or removal from office by the Governor," the State Board of Immigration Enforcement's news release says. City Manager Reese Goad defended the city's decision to City Commissioner Jack Porter on this basis. But Porter said it's her responsibility to understand what is legally required of the city and isn't clear whether this action is, saying that the city attorney didn't agree that TPD is legally required to comply. "If you and the City Attorney are not in agreement, then maybe the issue isn't so clear," Porter wrote in an email thread Goad provided to the Tallahassee Democrat. "Even the police chief of Coral Gables – who has entered into the same agreement – stated on record that it was not legally required of them." "I don't understand your point," Goad replied. "You seem to say that if someone thinks it is not legally required then it shouldn't be done. There are a lot of legal opinions. I wish to avoid that kind of overthink and legal debate." Goad further explained that the decision to comply is up to him and TPD Chief Lawrence Revell: "You are welcome to indicate that we shouldn't do it, and take whatever action you deem appropriate," he wrote. Porter pressed Goad to share where he got his legal opinion "since it did not come from the City Attorney and since you are not an attorney." She went on: "If the answer is that you came to the conclusion on your own from reading the order, then that's your answer. I'm not an attorney either, which is why I consult with attorneys." "Based on all of the context here, I assume you believe we reached the wrong conclusion and should not execute the agreement," Goad replied. "Therefore, your opinion must be that the City is not legally required to do so and is not subject to any penalty for failure to act. However, you are reluctant to state your position." Requests for comment are pending with both Porter and Revell. At the end of February, the state said all its counties are to enter what's known as a 287(g) task force model agreement and a warrant service officer program. This is the type of agreement TPD signed. The agreement allows local law enforcement to enforce immigration violations as part of their routine duties and allows ICE to train, certify and authorize local law enforcement to serve and execute administrative warrants in their jails. Mandating local law enforcement to participate is the latest effort to support President Donald Trump and his mandate for mass deportations to address illegal immigration after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an anti-immigration bill into law last month. Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee officials clash over new immigration enforcement deal
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fort Walton Beach police chief discusses appointment to Florida's State Board of Immigration Council
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (WKRG) — Local law enforcement and state leaders are coming together to combat illegal immigration in the state of Florida. Okaloosa County Deputy of the Year responded to 1,900 calls for service in 2024 This month, the Florida Legislature established the State Board of Immigration Enforcement. Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Robert Bage has been appointed to serve on its council. 'This new council is just another example how Florida is leading the nation in safety and security in our community,' Bage said. Bage said the council will advise Governor Ron DeSantis and his cabinet on how local law enforcement can assist in state and national efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. Pensacola winter book sale starts Friday — what to know 'What resources and training we'll need at the local level, and then also enhance information sharing in resources between the local state and federal level,' Bage said. Bage, who was appointed to the council by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, has served more than two decades in Florida law enforcement. He also served in the United States Navy for two years, and then joined the United States Border Patrol for a year before a 20-year career with the North Miami Police Department. In 2019, Bage was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Fort Walton Beach. Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office needs beads for Mardi Gras float — how to help 'I wanted to be on this council so I could bring those 26 years of law enforcement experience and I can bring my community policing skills that I've developed, to ensure that this is done in the best way possible to ensure the safety of our community,' Bage said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
