ORLANDO, FL.Despite a public spat with Florida’s attorney general over the matter, the mayor of Orange local approved an addition that would permit local prison staff to transport immigration detainees to ICE facilities.
During a press conference on Friday, Jerry Demings described the action as a tough but essential choice to safeguard community stability and local government leadership.
Demings said that the U.S. Postal Service delivered the amendment on Friday morning, which clarified some of the time ambiguity.
We had to put on a bad spot, so I signed the blasted thing. Demings stated, “I cannot allow myself and our entire board of county commissioners to be removed from office.”
Demings also addressed worries about how the arrangement will affect operations. He pointed out that before Orange County would consent, ICE would need to request the transfer of the inmates and evaluate its preparedness.
Citing a 24% vacancy rate among the county’s 880 qualified prison officers, he stated, “I definitely doubt that there will be such a time in the near future.”
Along with highlighting previous conflicts between ICE and certain Florida sheriffs, who have accused ICE of recruiting deputies despite continued collaboration with local law enforcement, Demings emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of both jail staff and inmates.
At the Orange County Commission’s meeting on Tuesday, August 5, the amendment will be presented.
After Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier threatened civil and criminal consequences, including removal from office, and insisted that Orange County officials sign the amendment to the 287(g) agreement, the decision was made to sign.
[VIDEO: The attorney general of Florida asks that Orange County consent to transporting immigrants to ICE facilities]
According to Uthmeier, Orange County violated public law by essentially becoming a sanctuary county by refusing to sign the pact.
Uthmeier told Troy Campbell of News 6 on Wednesday that any attempt by a local government to prevent law enforcement from helping the federal government with immigration enforcement is inherently a sanctuary jurisdiction.
[Watch: Uthmeier discusses the immigration topic in Orange County with News 6]
On Wednesday, Demings declared that the state attorney general would not harass him.
The fact that the 37-year-old attorney general is disparaging me and our board personally strikes me as a little ironic. “As a law enforcement officer, I patrolled Florida’s streets for more years than he has been alive,” Demings stated.
[WATCH: The mayor of Orange County resists the requests of the Florida attorney general]
According to Demings, one of his worries is that the county is housing the large number of prisoners brought in by the ICE operation, yet the federal government is only paying the county $88 per day, or $145 per day, for this expense.
When we inquired if the state had made a financial contribution to the accommodation of detainees on ICE detainers, Demings responded that the state hasn’t chipped in any money as of yet, regardless of the difference. In order to determine the actual cost of housing federal prisoners in Orange County, we are collaborating with the comptroller’s office.
In an interview with Mike Valente of News 6 on Thursday, Demings declined to comment on Uthmeier’s remarks or indicate if he would sign the addition.
[WATCH: Mayor of Orange County waits for attorney general remarks]
“I’m not going there,” he declared. I mean, at that moment, I said what I said. We’ll proceed. The state’s communication regarding the immigration issues had been poor. The media just sent us a letter releasing information. Not even the decency of sending the letter to us directly was shown to us. Therefore, I’m not sure, but we’re going to proceed when you say anything nasty.
Earlier this year, Demings signed the initial ICE arrangement in defiance of opposition from several Orange County commissioners and community leaders.
At the time, Demings said that our community would suffer more severe and disastrous effects if he didn’t sign the deal.
“As Orange County’s CEO, I can’t let that happen,” Demings stated. particularly after discussing the effects on us with Chief of Corrections Louis Qui and Public Safety Director Danny Banks. Are they requesting that we perform any tasks that we haven’t done today? And the response was no. We do this now, with the exception of Chief Quiones’ employees who are actually working as ICE detainers and members of the team that serves the warrants. However, according to the county attorney’s office, this is a requirement and the law. You are basically breaking the law if you don’t sign the agreement, and these are the repercussions.
However, a few commissioners have persisted in demanding information and trying to find a way out of the deal.
During a June meeting, District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson stated, “We are continuing to be complacent in something that not only historically is going to be shown immoral, but I believe cruel and indefensible.”
In a statement to News 6, Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, executive director of the Hope Community Center and a prominent figure in Orange County’s immigration advocacy community, expressed his profound shock and immediate sadness at the decision.
This makes Mayor Demings complicit in the violations of human rights occurring at these facilities, such as the already notorious Alligator Alcatraz. I can’t emphasize this enough because human lives are at stake, not politics.
It is not only needless but also reckless to add immigration enforcement duties to the Orange County Corrections Department, which already has a 25% personnel shortage. In order to support MAGA’s mass deportation goal, this action runs the risk of taking scarce staff and resources away from essential public safety requirements.
Despite earlier this week’s claims to the contrary, Mayor Demings gave in to pressure. The principles of community, respect, and inclusivity that Orange County residents cherish are betrayed by his choice. In the past, the mayor himself claimed that the county was ill-equipped to handle this task and correctly pointed out that the federal government was in charge of transporting federal detainees. Additionally, neither federal nor state law requires the county to carry out DeSantis’ mandate. DeSantis’s own Republican Legislature actually rejected and defeated his attempt to include the provision in a law. So what has changed, one would wonder? Easy. The DeSantis administration is using fear to impose its anti-immigrant agenda, and the pressure has increased dramatically.
[VIEW THE ICE 287(G) ACCORDANCE]
287(g) MOA_6.5.25-2 WSO Transport AddendumScribd by Christie Zizoon
