Florida became one of the first states to allow using local law enforcement to assist in combatting illegal immigration. Last week Republican Governor Ron DeSantis officially granted new powers to Florida State Troopers under what is known as 287(g), a power President Trump said he wanted to utilize to bring in local police and sheriff departments to aid in his mass deportation plan while on the campaign trail.
To better understand how the new policy works, it can be contrasted with sanctuary states, counties and cities, where policies prevent local authorities from working with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
“We’re proud to be one of the first states in the nation to be requested and enter into an agreement with the U.S. (DHS) to execute functions of immigration enforcement within our state,” DeSantis said, who emphasized the collaboration is to detain criminal illegal immigrants currently incarcerated, preventing their release into local communities.
“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 in the United States” DeSantis said. “If they are found to be in violation of proper immigration status, they will be further detailed and processed for state or federal offenses.”
Under this plan, state troopers will have the authority to arrest and detain individuals attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, whether through ports of entry like airports or along Florida’s coastline. Unlike current procedures, troopers would not be required to wait for ICE agents before processing individuals for removal.
Additionally, state law enforcement officers will be able to execute arrest warrants for those suspected of violating immigration laws, which DeSantis stated would expedite the current enforcement process.
Republican-led states have increasingly taken actions on a local level when federal law, particularly under former President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration, has failed them. Texas, for example, launched Operation Lone Star to bolster security at the southwest border, and several non-border states have introduced their own immigration-related restrictions.
DeSantis has been a vocal critic of Biden’s open-border policies, and worked closely with Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott in relocating thousands of illegal immigrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to Democrat-led sanctuary cities.
