Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced that the state is committed to assisting in ICE deportation efforts.
According to the state’s agreement, state and local officers will partner with ICE officials, who will delegate the officers to work on illegal immigrant removals.
“This program allows ICE enforcement and removal operations to partner with state and local enforcement agencies to identify and remove already incarcerated criminal aliens who are eligible for removal before they are released into our community,” DeSantis told reporters.
“This agreement will give FHP expanded power and authority to interrogate any suspected alien or person believed to be an alien as to their right to be entered in the United States. If they are found to be in violation of proper immigration status, they will be further detained and processed for state or federal offenses.”
DeSantis said the agreement “means that FHP State law enforcement officers will be empowered to arrest and detain aliens attempting to unlawfully lawfully enter the United States, such as through ports of entry or via waters off Florida’s coastline.”
“They can also deliver detained illegal immigrants without any unnecessary delays for examination by immigration enforcement authorities for further screening,” he said, noting that officers can “also enforce felony arrests which are cognizable under any federal law regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of illegal aliens.”
Other Republican states have announced partnerships with federal agencies for immigration enforcement. Earlier this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection deputized the Texas National Guard to assist with deportation efforts.
The state’s agreement with the Trump administration will allow it to “formally assist with and facilitate the mass deportation of illegal aliens during President Donald Trump’s second term,” according to a press release from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office.
