Miami is deferring a request by its police chief to grant some cops immigration law enforcement powers, a controversial measure being pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to help the federal government increase deportations sought by President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, Key Biscayne’s Village Council also deferred a vote on the “287g” pact, which the administration likewise put onto the agenda. The measure has drawn passionate debate, with critics arguing that it’s not the role of local cops to be immigration enforcers. But Coral Gables, Doral, and some other cities have signed on to the program.
DeSantis has said that officials who don’t agree to sign onto the program could violate state law and be removed from office.
One municipality — South Miami — has filed a lawsuit against the governor, asking a judge to decide whether Florida’s prohibition on so-called “sanctuary cities” has any bearing on the federal 287g program. The matter is still pending in Leon County Circuit Court.
Diana Delgado Garcia, a spokesperson for Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo, said the matter was deferred until after the special election to fill the seat of Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who died earlier this month. She said she was unaware of any pressure to vote for the pact.
Commissioner Christine King, who represents Liberty City and Little Haiti, refused to answer questions about her views of the program, deferring to Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales. Both communities are home to large immigrant communities, particularly Haitians.
Trump has revoked Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Venezuelans, but the courts have temporarily blocked enforcement of his order. King said she didn’t fully grasp what the 287g pact would mean and wanted a briefing from Morales, who was out of town.
In Key Biscayne, Village Manager Steve Williamson has sought to downplay the effect of the potential agreement. But there have already been cases where state and local police have made questionable detentions.
Then too, there’s the question of federal funds for a variety of projects municipalities depend on.
Mayor Joe Rasco wrote to Williamson on April 11 with a copy of a Wall Street Journal article about localities being threatened with loss of federal funds if they opposed Trump’s deportation efforts. “FYI,” Rasco wrote to Williamson.
But in a late development Thursday, a federal judge in California barred the Trump administration from denying or conditioning the use of federal funds to “sanctuary” jurisdictions, saying that portions of President Donald Trump’s executive orders were unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued the injunction sought by San Francisco and more than a dozen other municipalities that limit cooperation with federal immigration efforts.
Orrick wrote that defendants are prohibited “from directly or indirectly taking any action to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funds,” and the administration must provide written notice of its order to all federal departments and agencies by Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a WLRN News partner.
