Florida leads as state and local governments sign on for Trump’s mass deportations

By GISELA SALOMON and KATE PAYNE Associated Press MIAMI AP The roster of local police departments and state agencies that have joined President Donald Trump s drive for mass deportations has soared to more than with nearly half from Florida That cooperation will be on display Thursday when Florida Gov Ron DeSantis joins authorities from the U S Department of Homeland Shield to tout an operation that functionaries say netted about immigration arrests in less than a week Related Articles A crackdown on diversity programs is reshaping college graduation ceremonies Sex assault reports in the US military fell last year fueled by a big drop in the Army Average rate on a US -year mortgage eases to its second straight weekly decline McDonald s store traffic falls unexpectedly as diners grow uneasy about financial sector Over million Ninja-branded pressure cookers are recalled after reports of serious burn injuries Local police can make immigration arrests and detain people for immigration violations under specific agreements U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement had agreements across states in December That number has jumped to deals across states with an additional agencies pending approval As the Trump administration ramps up cooperation with state and local agencies it is moving to retaliate against those that limit helping immigration personnel On Monday the president signed an executive order to publish a list of sanctuary jurisdictions and reiterated threats of criminal charges against state or local leaders who thwart federal plan Advocates who oppose local administrators getting into immigration enforcement say the practice violates a clause in the U S Constitution that makes federal not state agents responsible for it This is finding methods to terrorize communities stated Katie Blankenship an immigration attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South adding that local law enforcement officers aren t trained to handle immigration issues in any sort of just manner Trumps deportation goals may be too big for ICE alone ICE which has about deportation officers requirements help achieving Trump s goal of deporting various of the roughly million people in the country illegally a conservative estimate Texas whose Republican governor Greg Abbott has closely allied himself with Trump on immigration has enforcement agreements on record the second-largest number of any state They include one inked April with the state National Guard Texas has also signed an agreement with U S Customs and Boundary Protection for its National Guard to arrest people at the boundary Georgia and North Carolina have also joined Trump s cause but no state approaches Florida s cooperation with agencies from all counties signing on Particular participating institutions appear to have little if anything to do with immigration enforcement including the Florida Department of Lottery Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission No such agreements were signed during the Biden administration Various of the new pacts adhere to a task force model under which police arrest immigrants on the streets and in communities as opposed to a jail enforcement model under which ICE takes custody of people only when they are put in state and local jails or prisons Florida representatives say multiple local agencies are still waiting for federal training However the latest ICE arrests part of what the agency calls Operation Tidal Wave show how state and local roles may grow One operation involved about state troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol and targeted people in Jacksonville Orlando and Tallahassee as well as in Broward and Miami-Dade counties announced Bill Smith president of FHP s chapter of the Florida Police Benevolent Association A spokesperson for Florida Highway Patrol did not respond to questions Administration targeted people who faced final deportation orders and detained others on outstanding arrest warrants for previous offenses like driving under the influence or without a license Smith revealed Florida is leading the nation in proceeding cooperation with the Trump administration for immigration enforcement and deportation operations DeSantis announced after ICE informed arrests Saturday Specific immigrant advocates reported the bulk arrests were by local police officers and state highway patrol troopers not ICE People were detained during traffic stops or when leaving work Specific had no criminal records and were seeking asylum or had work permits advocates reported One family is suddenly torn apart Jessica Ram rez general coordinator at the Florida Farm Workers Association commented that majority of of those arrested were men In chosen cases though not numerous ICE representatives knocked on the door of immigrants houses she disclosed People are extremely afraid to go out and drive afraid of the police commented Ram rez The recommendation is to drive diligently follow the rules and not give the police a reason to stop them Chica a -year-old Guatemalan woman who sought to be identified only by her first name for fear of being detained announced her partner Fernando the father of her -month-old baby was detained Friday morning as he was riding in a car with three other immigrants to his construction job Chica hasn t heard from him since Honey the police caught us Fernando a -year-old Guatemalan texted her Friday at a m Chica noted he had a pending asylum application and a work permit Police inquired the driver of the car to show his license but he did not have one Officers then detained all four including Fernando who came to the U S alone in I m really worried I can t believe they caught him explained Chica who is now considering going back to Guatemala I m afraid they ll deport him and I ll be left here without anyone s help Grady Judd the sheriff of Polk County in central Florida called the operation a drop in the bucket and voiced frustration with what he called the federal establishment s inability to carry out arrests and removals on a larger scale The reason I think that they were focusing on those ready for deportation is there s no place to put volumes of people Judd revealed We re eager to cooperate with them But it s a federal authorities system and process And it s not changing very rapidly Payne broadcasted from Tallahassee Florida