Florida’s Special Session to Help Facilitate Mass Deportations – Top 3 Takeaways – January 14th, 2025
- Ain’t that special. It turns out that Florida’s going to have a special session after all. In this non-election year Florida’s state legislative session isn’t set to commence until March 4th. In recent months Governor DeSantis has heard from many condo owners and associations across the state wanting him to call a special session to address the condo affordability crisis. The crisis that’s cropped up with especially older buildings since the passage of legislative reforms aimed at preventing another catastrophe like the collapse of Champlain Towers South. As it turns out there will be a special session to tackle that after all, but that won’t be all. The governor will also be seeking additional hurricane relief for hard hit parts of Florida’s Gulf coast. But it’s not condos or hurricane spawned tornadoes that will be the focus of the special session Governor DeSantis has called starting January 27th. It’s illegal immigration. Florida has acted aggressively to combat illegal immigration within the state, including 2023’s Immigration Law – which added teeth to Florida’s E-Verify law, and made it illegal to transport illegal immigrants within the state of Florida. Last year three more laws aimed at curbing illegal immigration were passed: The Reclassification of Criminal Penalties law, which raises criminal penalties for criminal illegal immigrants who’ve previously been deported. There was the Identification Documents law that prevents local governments from accepting ID cards granted to illegal immigrants from sanctuary governments in other states, and the Driving Without a Valid Driver’s License law which increased penalties for those driving without a valid driver’s license. On Monday Governor DeSantis made it clear that while Florida has already been a leader on the issue, he intends for our state to be the leader in Trump’s mass deportation plan. While details were light during the announcement, the governor said this (in speaking about President-elect Trump’s mass deportation plan):
- The federal government has the responsibility to do this, and in order for them to be successful, I do think it’s going to require cooperation from state and local. If those duties are clear in law, I have the authority, with respect to certain officials, to suspend them from their office if they are neglecting their duties, and that’s it. Again, details as of now are light but what appears to be at the crux of the governor’s legislative interest is potentially mandating participation in what’s known as ICE’s 287(g) program. What is it? According to ICE... The 287(g) Program enhances the safety and security of our nation’s communities by allowing ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove incarcerated criminal noncitizens who are amenable to removal from the U.S. before they are released into the community. How does it work? Through two program models. The Jail Enforcement Model is designed to identify and process removable noncitizens — with criminal or pending criminal charges — who are arrested by state or local law enforcement agencies. The Warrant Service Officer program allows ICE to train, certify and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative warrants on noncitizens in their agency’s jail. How effective is it? The most recent report available is from the 2022-2023 year. The 287(g) program was responsible for the processing of 8,442 illegal immigrants from 141 countries of which 6,894 were criminal illegal immigrants. Included in the mix were 39 illegal immigrants who’d committed homicide and 78 rapists. It would certainly seem to be an effective program...especially when you consider that those numbers were from a single year during the Biden administration which has been far more focused on letting illegal immigrants into this country than it has been on removing them. While doing my due diligence on this program, following DeSantis’s announcement, here’s what I found about current participation in Florida. There are 48 fully participating law enforcement agencies within Florida as of now. That includes the Florida Department of Corrections and most sheriff’s offices across the state including Broward, Martin and Indian River County. Among the agencies that aren’t fully participating... Four of the five largest sheriff's offices in Florida. Those four agencies are... Hillsborough, Miami Dade, Orange and Palm Beach. Although, ICE lists Hillsborough, Miami-Dade and Orange as having 287 Program Applications...
- Leaving Palm Beach County squarely in the crosshairs of what may happen here. Obviously, Florida’s most populous counties are likely to have the most illegal immigrants. Also, it’s well known that South Florida’s demographics suggest that it’ll be ground zero for the special session’s impact as it appears likely that PBSO will be compelled by the state to join ICE’s 287 deportation program. Notably Sheriff Bradshaw has been an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's open border policies. For example, in the words of Bradshaw following the arrests of illegal immigrants who’d kidnapped and raped a woman near John Prince Park... Don’t think for a minute that what happens at the Mexican Border doesn’t affect us here. In all likelihood these people came through Mexico. The federal government has put the American people in jeopardy. These idiots in Washington D.C. need to close this border. So, it’s perhaps a bit surprising that PBSO isn’t already opted into ICE’s voluntary 287 deportation program. We’ve had a steady stream of horrendous crimes committed locally by illegal immigrates. As we learned just yesterday, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, who crossed the border in 2023, sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in West Palm Beach on January 3rd but also may be responsible for other attacks on vulnerable girls in addition to other crimes like an armed purse snatching on December 26th. This much we know. Next Monday the southern border will be closed once President Trump signs an EO, and on January 27th, the state legislature will convene to assist Trump’s deportation effort to the extent that state and local law enforcement can. Sheriff Bradshaw will join us on Thursday’s show to discuss his thoughts on the implications and potential changes...