Florida Supreme Court: Statewide Grand Jury Can Investigate Sanctuary Cities’ Effects on Human Trafficking

The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday granted Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) petition to probe human trafficking networks bringing illegal immigrants across the southern border as well as investigate sanctuary cities that are contributing to the issue.

According to the governor’s office, the jury “will examine these networks’ impact on the State of Florida and how they have violated state law” as well as “investigate local governments,” better known as sanctuary cities, “that are aiding this smuggling scheme by intentionally violating state law”:

“I’m pleased that the Florida Supreme Court granted Governor DeSantis’s petition to impanel a statewide grand jury,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) said in a statement.

“I look forward to our Statewide Prosecutor working with jurors to investigate matters related to human smuggling, trafficking and the unlawful release of dangerous criminals here illegally,” she added.

Larry Keefe, Senior Advisor to the Governor for Public Safety, said that the Court’s action “enabled the State of Florida to take the next step in fighting back against Biden’s disastrous border policies.”

“This grand jury will allow us to gather critical information on the harmful consequences of illegal immigration on our state, including the prevalence of human trafficking and smuggling and the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl within our borders,” he added.

DeSantis originally filed the petition on June 17, announcing a series of actions the state is taking to combat President Biden’s border crisis. In addition to the petition to impanel a statewide grand jury, the governor also announced that the state would use $12 million to create what was described as a “strike force of state and local law enforcement to be able to interdict illegal drug smuggling, human trafficking, as well as illegals that are illegally carrying firearms throughout the state of Florida.”

DeSantis said at the time:

The grand jury will examine the effects of those international networks on Florida and how they have violated Florida law, and the purpose of the grand jury will be to investigate individuals and organizations that are actively working with foreign nationals, drug cartels, coyotes to illegally smuggle minors, some as young as two years old, across the border and into Florida. This is just wrong what they’re doing, and we are going to go after it.

Additionally, the governor signed Senate Bill 1808, which “penalizes any of these contractors that the federal government is hiring to dump illegal aliens in our state, and so, they will be ineligible for any tax contract or anything like that,” according to DeSantis.

“The bill also requires law enforcement agencies operating with county detention facilities to enter into a written agreement with ICE to assist in enforcing federal immigration laws by identifying illegal aliens who do not belong in the United States,” he explained.