A gathering of immigration rights supporters was held outside the National Sheriffs’ Association conference in Fort Lauderdale, as a sign of dissatisfaction with the local law enforcement’s collaboration with the deportation program under the Trump administration. Sheriffs from various parts of the United States were attending the conference conducted at the Broward County Convention Center during the week. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony officially received the sheriffs into the county, alongside a conversation between FBI director Kash Patel and Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding ways the local law enforcement units can form alliances with the federal government.
Meanwhile, the organizers from the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the National Council of Jewish Women, Sheriff Accountability Action, and the ACLU created a point of dissent just across from the convention center on Tuesday morning. They took a firm stand against the sheriffs for opting into agreements under clause 287(g), a policy that lets local law enforcement assist ICE in implementing immigration enforcement. This alliance, they argue, could undermine the relationship between immigrants and law enforcement and result in fewer reported crimes.
Florida has stamped its influence as a major enforcer of former President Donald Trump’s deportation program and ranks first nationally when it comes to the quantity of local bodies engaging in 287(g) agreements. The cooperative agreements pervade every county sheriff department in Florida, encapsulating Broward and Palm Beach County, along with localities like Hollywood and West Palm Beach.
The various agreements throughout the state adopt different forms, a number of them applicable solely to jails and necessitating sheriff compliance. However, numerous sheriff departments and cities have also accepted the ‘Task Force’ models, granting law enforcement the power to apply immigration law as part of daily police tasks, such as during traffic stops.
Recently, the commissioners of Miami agreed to participate in a Task Force agreement despite the extensive objections from citizens. Ana Maria Hernandez, an organizer with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, voiced her concerns to the press, stating that authorities, who are responsible for our protection, are being made to compete with the public due to the state’s policies.
Hernandez shared her views on elected officials advocating for the 287(g) agreements under the pretense of public safety, asserting their claims as misleading. The migrant-rich region of South Florida has found itself at the center of this friction between state and local authorities. The area’s sheriffs, who are tasked with maintaining security for a large immigrant population, have been coerced to cooperate with immigration enforcement, despite apprehensions about trust erosion within the communities they protect.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony found himself under scrutiny, when he received a cautionary letter from Attorney General James Uthmeier, in response to Tony’s intentions of not carrying out immigration raids, arguing that enforcement was not a key priority for him.
The enforcement of the 287(g) agreements conflicts with the ethos of South Florida, a region that prides itself as a welcoming destination for immigrants. The sentiment was echoed by Darien Gomez, an organizer with the ACLU, who spoke to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He underscored the paradox of the situation where the vibrant immigrant community, who have contributed to building South Florida into what it is today, was living under the constant threat of mass deportations.
There are already plans underway by state leaders to set up a new detention center, dubiously termed as ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ at an airfield owned by Miami-Dade County, situated in the heart of the Everglades. Uthmeier advertised this facility as a centralized hub catering to President Trump’s large scale deportation agenda.
However, the decision was met with stark criticism on Tuesday, with advocates pointing out the alarming conditions prevailing at current detention facilities like the one in Krome, Miami. The ACLU is currently proceeding with a lawsuit against ICE for the maltreatment of an individual at the Baker County Detention Center, as reported by Gomez.
The gathering at the location of the sheriffs’ conference was marked by its small size and calm disposition, with an occasional honk indicating support from passing vehicles. It did not seem to catch the attention or curiosity of the conference attendees.
Sheriff Alyshia Dyer from Michigan’s Washtenaw County, where the city of Ann Arbor resides, expressed her opinion on the matter. Her region, along with a number of other areas in Michigan, had not entered into a 287(g) agreement. Responding to the pressure experienced by sheriffs in Florida to comply, Dyer empathized, admitting that the coercion to perform additional tasks when resources are already spread thin, was neither effective governance nor representative of a true democracy.
Dyer further argued that overburdening sheriffs was inequitable, particularly considering the already strained resources and responsibilities that are part and parcel of their existing role.
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