ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – In South Florida, a legal battle is taking place against the state’s illegal immigration enforcement laws — and on Tuesday, an Orange County leader questioned whether what they previously complied to do is legal.
“The courts have weighed in, I know it is continuing to be battled, but this is not a final decision, but right now they have said this should not be continued to be enforced law,” Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson said.
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In March, the county ratified a new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would allow county correction officers to assist in immigration enforcement.
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The agreement came after Gov. Ron DeSantis emphasized that under Florida’s new law all local governments must cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
In response, advocacy groups Florida Immigrant Coalition and Farmworker Association of Florida filed a lawsuit against the state’s new laws, calling them ‘dangerous and discriminatory.’
As Wilson mentioned, a Federal Judge extended an order blocking a portion of the state’s immigration enforcement law. Specifically, SB-4C created a state crime for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida, according to previous reports.
“I am asking us to revisit the determination that it was a requirement under state law — that we had to take that (ICE) agreement,” Wilson said.
Meanwhile, since the county signed the agreement with ICE, the jail has seen a rise in inmates, Orange County Corrections Chief Louis Quinones previously said.
To add on, some of the people being booked in jail do not have any local charges — from Jan. 1 to May 10, more than 400 inmates booked were held only on an ICE detainer, according to Orange County Corrections staff.
“But I believe it is illegal — I believe in my heart of hearts that being told as a local government that we had to detain people that have not committed crimes, that had not been given their full due process rights, because the federal government told us we had to, is not legal,” Wilson said.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings responded to Wilson’s concerns — he said he has not been advised by the courts to change anything with the county’s agreement with ICE.
This comes along as the Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and his legal team issued a memo telling state law enforcement agencies not to obey the federal judge’s court order — then days later rewording the message saying he cannot prevent officers from making immigration arrests, according to News 6 partner Local 10.
The federal judge is now considering holding the attorney general in contempt of court.
The next hearing in this case is scheduled for June 16, according to court records.
All in all, Demings directed the county attorney’s office to check in on the legality of the ICE agreement and to update the board in the future on what should be done regarding immigration enforcement. Demings also redirected concerned citizens to reach out to federal officials on this issue.
“We understand the concerns that you may have for your families or your relatives, but I do believe that you all know where and who you should be addressing these issues to – it is your federal officials. We are a subdivision of government; you all know that these directives did not originate here at the local level,” Demings said.