TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — In a sweeping policy shift, Governor Ron DeSantis is taking immigration enforcement to the next level, empowering state troopers to work in direct coordination with ICE.

As DeSantis positions Florida as a national leader in immigration enforcement, immigration attorneys are pushing back, highlighting the legal confusion these actions may bring.

“If you look nationwide at all the law enforcement agencies that have entered into 287 — the agreements with the federal government — more than half of them are in one state, guess which state that is… the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.

287 G agreements are when local and state agencies work alongside federal immigration efforts. In the state’s latest immigration reform, Florida Highway Patrol troopers now have more authority in immigration cases.
“You are not going to be able to make even a dent in that with just random ICE agents that are sprinkled around the country,” DeSantis said.

The governor says state law enforcement officers can now handle illegal immigration operations and arrests without the help of federal agencies. This has legal experts and immigration advocates drawing criticism.
Hector Diaz, managing partner with Your Immigration Attorney, said there used to be a process where an individual would get taken to the county jail here in the state and ICE would then place an immigration hold.
“All these people are being uprooted from their community to Texas, where they have nobody and then we have to go in front of a judge and try to bond them out, even though they’ve committed no crime,” Diaz said.

However, DeSantis argues immigration enforcement is civil and not a criminal matter.
“If you’re just simply removing them on the other side of the border, that does not mean the same due process that would attach to people that are brought up on criminal charges,” DeSantis said.

Diaz acknowledges the need for secure borders but calls for a more balanced approach.
“Don’t let everybody in and, you know, don’t kick everybody out. There has to be a middle ground where hard working immigrants can be here raising a family, be legal, have work permits, contribute to society,” Diaz said.

Diaz believes Florida is overstepping constitutional bounds, saying immigration is a federal responsibility, while DeSantis argues states should be allowed to enforce these efforts if the federal government fails to do so.