Under the Expansion of the 287(g) Program, which allows state and local officers to perform specified immigration enforcement functions with direction from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE,) Governor Ron DeSantis directed Florida law enforcement agencies to enter into Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) with ICE. Orlando’s recent deal regarding immigration enforcement collaborations between U.S. (ICE) and local P.D. is one of many in a growing list.
Since the City of Orlando doesn’t operate a jail, it signed a “Task Force Model” agreement. The agreement, signed March 20 by Police Chief Eric Smith, grants “limited immigration authority” to local officers during their regular duties. Under such an agreement, trained officers can interrogate anybody believed to be an alien, arrest any alien entering or attempting to enter the United States without a warrant, and serve and execute warrants for immigration violations and to issue immigration detainers.
Members of the community have stepped up to demand more transparency from the city, especially with the rolling out of new legislation at local, state, and national levels. As of 2023, almost a quarter of Orlando’s population is foreign-born, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and recent reports nationwide illustrate that many immigrant families have faced difficult decisions in sending children to school and reporting to work.
Adriana Rivera, the communications director for the Florida Immigration Coalition, previously told News 6 cities and counties should reconsider signing agreements with ICE. “In 2012, it led to widespread racial profiling, and they had to basically shut it down because they were infringing on the rights of people, including many U.S. citizens who were racially profiled,” Rivera said. “We’re seeing people who have no police backgrounds, people who even have a legal status in the country, being swept up by this hysteria that we’re living under.”
However, Florida law explicitly mandates that counties sign on to 287(g), and cities that fail to comply risk having their officials removed from office. All 67 sheriffs across Florida have entered into 287(g) agreements with ICE, according to the Florida Sheriffs Association, and Florida’s immigration czar, Larry Keefe, announced on March 14 that a new anonymous reporting tool called the Law Enforcement Accountability Dashboard (LEAD) will encourage both officers and the public to report noncompliance with immigration laws.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said, “We will from time to time apparently be called upon to support ICE. And we will do what we have to do in that regard. We don’t want to lose both federal and state funding.” He went on to say, “We follow federal and state law. We’ll still adhere to the Trust Act, which means that at a traffic stop, we’re not going to ask for documentation.”
Despite these mixed reactions, the current legislation is bringing about a new era of immigration enforcement, and the public must learn how to navigate these changes.
