President Donald Trump has no immigration policy. He has plans for a massive deportation. It is baked, arbitrary, shortsighted and cruel. But it is ongoing and it affects more than just immigrants who live illegally in the United States. Get ready as the train is heading for Florida.
Florida’s state and local agencies are rushing to support the Trump administration as the president threatens to carry out the biggest deportation effort in US history. As reported last week by the Tampa Bay Times, 97 Florida Police and the Sheriff’s Office are authorized to participate in a revived program that allows immigrants living here to be illegally suspended, questioned and detained. This is almost five times more law enforcement agencies participating in other parts of the country, making Florida a vanguard and lab rat for this controversial venture.
My point today is not to question Trump’s priorities to dealing with the administration, or the wisdom of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida police chiefs and sheriffs. Trump does what he promised, DeSantis is sympathetic, closing rank, and law enforcement is obliged to support the law. I have a problem with this approach, but no one should be surprised as Republicans ran and won on the issue of border security. My concern here is narrower as the effort moves forward. What does that mean for the structure of the community and the relationship between the local police and the residents they serve?
The Trump administration has doubled in press state and local agencies to traditionally assume the role of federal agents, and DeSantis has followed suit, publicly declaring that officials should be proactive in finding immigrants here who are illegal. This is a particularly robust attitude, sparking a new state law that criminalizes entering Florida without legal US residence.
But it’s not exactly anyone’s guess how Florida police will enforce immigration laws. The federal government has yet to train or devise a system that has police in the pipeline to be recognized as a de facto federal agent. That training includes the mandatory 40-hour online sessions on immigration law, and 40-hour online sessions on issues of officer authority and civil rights, cultural and responsibility. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Guartieri warned that the process will take time to impress local officials to take on the new mission.
I trust Gualtieri. He has a law degree, a responsible nature and a head of level. But there are 67 sheriffs in Florida, and everyone has their own way of doing things. Hundreds of other state and city police stations could also be involved. It covers many very different areas, cultural norms, and leadership. Given that immigrants are made up of one-fifth of Florida’s population, some skinned residents must be mistakenly arrested. It’s not a police jab. That’s statistics.
The deployment could also trigger a backlash from highly Hispanic communities like Hillsboro County, where immigrants are the backbone of the construction, agriculture and hospitality industries. Allowing executives to ask people questions about immigration situations during their daily suspensions could lead to racial profiling. This is what happened when this federal state program was operating 20 years ago. It also causes legal and illegal immigration, avoids police for fear of being detained, denying the community’s eyes and ears to law enforcement, making it vulnerable to predators such as abusive employers, landlords, and human traffickers. Last week’s Times Stories showed that crackdowns have encouraged even American citizens and mixed-status families to avoid staying under the radar in search of healthcare.
Gualtieri said his goal is not to make officers look illegally and enthusiastic for the people here. He wants to find people who pose a real threat of security and meet federal standards for detention. That still means that the community must prioritize immigration as a matter of local police. Trump and DeSantis always bring their preferences in search of visuals and grand standouts into the enforcement process, threatening to further politicize law enforcement. This could also be a new distraction with nonpartisan campaigns for the mayor and other local offices.
I have been watching cities across Florida for decades as law enforcement has worked to build public trust. It’s a laborious task that requires years of hard work, countless community meetings, personal dedication from police chiefs, sheriffs, colonels and majors. But all of that goodwill could evaporate overnight at the hands of probation recruitment. Therefore, it is very important that Florida move carefully and not lose sight of the interests.
