Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned Fort Myers’ city council on Tuesday that its recent failure to pass a measure allowing local police to coordinate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement constituted a “direct violation of Florida law” that could result in “criminal penalties.”
The agreement, which was rejected on Monday, would have seen Fort Myers police officers train to act as federal immigration agents, allowing them to detain and arrest illegal aliens.
Uthemeier responded to the failed vote on Tuesday in a letter sent to the City of Fort Myers. He explained that Florida state law “prohibits law enforcement and local government entities from adopting or having in effect any sanctuary policy.”
The attorney general described such a policy as any action “which prohibits or impedes a law enforcement agency from complying[,] […] communicating or cooperating with a federal immigration agency so as to limit such law enforcement agency in, or prohibit the agency from participating in a federal immigration operation.”
“Prohibiting city police officers from receiving the necessary federal training to adequately enforce U.S. immigration laws not only prevents city police from enforcing current federal immigration law but effectively prevents the city police department from participating in federal immigration operations,” the letter stated.
Making it clear that the Sunshine State would not tolerate the rogue implementation of sanctuary city policies, Uthmeier asserted that “immediate corrective action is required.”
He warned that the council’s failure to correct its actions would result in the “enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including but not limited to being held in contempt, declaratory or injunctive relief, and removal from office by the Governor.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also weighed in on the rejected measure on Tuesday, reminding the public that local Florida entities are “required” to assist in federal immigration enforcement.
Two city council members who voted “nay” on the agreement on Monday night engaged in theatrics during the process, Breitbart News reported. One such member, Councilwoman Darla Bonk, cried and wiped away tears as she cast her vote.
“The argument — and I know there’s no malintent to it — that we would risk federal or state funding if I don’t sign up for this? It is a tumultuous day and age, and this is a day I hate sitting in the seat, but my city is not for sale,” Bonk said.
“I can’t stand behind this as an immigrant, the only immigrant sitting in this council,” another councilwoman named Diana Giraldo said during the vote with a cracked voice. “Because, although this isn’t about me, particularly, I have been in that position, and I can’t — I can’t even express how heavy this is in my heart and in my mind, knowing that the majority of us that come as immigrants, we don’t come here to commit crimes.”
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Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson, who voted in favor of the measure, then reminded the council that the measure would not “create a group of officers out there, and kick in doors, and actively seek out immigrants.”
“It’s a process that allows officers who come in contact with people violating the laws, people committing crimes, that also happen to be illegal aliens and have a warrant, a civil warrant, for that purpose. This is allowing our police officers, our police department, to do a better job,” he said. “It’s not what it’s portrayed to be.”
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