Immigrant advocates, civil rights groups and religious leaders demonstrated Tuesday morning outside the National Sheriffs’ Association annual conference at the Broward Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale to demand sheriffs end their partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in rounding up suspected undocumented immigrants.
The organizers said they delivered a letter — signed by over 12,000 “faith leaders and people of faith from across the country” — asking sheriffs to “stop enabling Trump’s deportation agenda.”
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“Law enforcement officials need to prioritize their duty to protect and serve residents,” said Tessa Petit, Executive Director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, in a statement. “People across the country should be able to feel safe and trust when calling police to report a crime; they shouldn’t be worried that they will be asked their immigration status.”
“Taxpayers should also not be forced to foot the bill for these hostile and unnecessary immigration enforcement practices that will inevitably lead to civil lawsuits, costing taxpayers even more money,” Petit added.
The organizers are specifically opposed to the so-called 287(g) agreement — the pact authorizes local police to act as federal immigration enforcement agents in carrying out President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation strategy.
The program run by ICE is decades-old and has been revived and expanded under the Trump administration. It trains local law officers to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation.
Supporters of the 287(g) agreements say it’s needed to assist the Trump administration's efforts to remove immigrants unlawfully in the country who are committing crimes and or accessing limited taxpayer resources that are needed for U.S. citizens or lawful immigrants.
The number of 287(g) agreements has more than quadrupled — to about 650 — since Trump took office in January.
Almost 250 police agencies across Florida have signed the agreement, including sheriff’s offices in all 67 counties. Florida requires sheriff departments running county jails to do so.
