The top law enforcement official in Polk County, Sheriff Grady Judd, says federal immigration facilities are near capacity due to Florida’s aggressive interior enforcement. Deputies are arresting so many undocumented individuals under expanded 287(g) authority that they’re overwhelming ICE’s limited detention capacity.
Judd noted that county jails can only legally hold immigrants for 48 hours without federal arrangements. He warned, “The speed we’re operating at is like cruising down the road at 20 miles an hour. When we put the pedal to the metal and get up to the speed limit, there is no way on God’s green earth they can handle this capacity.”
Florida has opened new centers, including “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades, but Judd says these are only a “drop in the bucket.”
The sheriff urged the federal government to waive national standards so county facilities can hold detainees longer. He emphasized that while processing should remain federal, local jails stand ready and able.
Sheriff Judd praised Governor Ron DeSantis’s push for local immigration enforcement. Florida now mandates all law enforcement to participate in the 287(g) program, enabling deputies and troopers to arrest undocumented immigrants during regular patrols. He suggested federal agencies seek temporary housing solutions, mirroring hurricane shelters, to manage surging detainee numbers.
This intensifies under President Trump’s tougher stance. Judd stressed that only executive action can resolve the bottleneck, stating federal capacity has lagged since the Biden era’s lighter immigration enforcement
