XPost: alt.law-enforcement, fl.politics, alt.politics.immigration
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday his office has tools, including suspending officials from office, to compel local governments to cooperate
with federal immigration authorities in assisting in detentions and deportations.
The governor's remarks came just two days after Florida Attorney General
James Uthmeier warned city officials in Fort Myers that their failure to approve an immigration agreement with federal authorities could have
serious consequences.
Concerns over racial profiling
The Fort Myers City Council on Monday failed to approve an agreement that
would have allowed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to train
local law officers to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain
them for potential deportation.
Several council members expressed concern that it would lead to racial profiling and harm the community.
State attorney general: "Sanctuary policies are not tolerated"
On Tuesday, Uthmeier sent a letter to the city saying Fort Myers could be violating state law prohibiting "sanctuary cities," a name often given to municipalities that limit cooperation with immigration enforcement.
"Sanctuary policies are not tolerated or lawful in Florida," Uthmeier
wrote. "Immediate corrective action is required."
DeSantis' history of removing local officials
DeSantis has a history of removing local officials with whom he has
disagreed, in moves critics say are politically motivated. Earlier this
decade, the GOP governor removed Monique Worrell, the Democratic state prosecutor for the Orlando area, saying she had failed to prosecute crimes committed by minors and didn't seek mandatory minimum sentences for gun
crime.
Worrell, who disputed that claim, was voted back into office last year.
Florida law enforcement expands immigration role
Last month, DeSantis announced that several Florida law enforcement
agencies had struck an agreement with ICE to interrogate, arrest and
detain immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally and deliver
them to federal authorities.
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/desantis-warns-he-has-tools-including- suspending-local-officials-if-they-dont-cooperate-with-ice/?intcid=CNR-02-
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