A Florida sheriff is combating illegal immigration by sharing a bold statement with those who are in the state illegally ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration.

“And I leave with this message: ‘Southbound and down.’ Do it yourself. You can self-deport and avoid a lot of prison sentence, but it’s time. Southbound and down,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference on Wednesday. 

Grady was joined by Gov. Ron DeSantis and several other local and state officials during the press conference held Winter Haven to discuss actions to combat illegal immigration.

Judd said a crackdown on illegal immigration would help reduce crime.

Then-President Trump greets Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during a campaign rally on Oct. 31, 2018, in Estero, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

DeSantis scheduled a special session to begin the week after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration to fund efforts to address illegal immigration, including detention and relocation. The governor has said the state must work to support Trump’s promises to tackle illegal immigration and ensure that “we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”

In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump thanked DeSantis for calling a special session, saying “hopefully other Governors will follow!”

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com