BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he wants legislation to prevent sanctuary cities in Florida.
- DeSantis delivered remarks Tuesday in Hernando County
- No current sanctuary cities in Florida, but couple of cities on "watch list"
- Spectrum News will have more during evening newscasts
He made the remarks in Hernando County.
There are no current sanctuary cities in Florida, but a couple of cities, including West Palm Beach, are on a "watch list" kept by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sanctuary cities limit their cooperation with the national government's effort to enforce immigration laws.
"If you have somebody who is here illegally and they get booked for a criminal offense, and you know they're here illegally and you make the decision as a jurisdiction that you're not going to cooperate and you release that individual back into society, any additional crimes could have by definition been prevented," DeSantis said.
The governor, who was joined by the sheriffs of Hernando and Pasco counties, also talked about a program that allows deputies to act as ICE agents and perform some of those functions.
The 287(g) program is a partnership initiative ICE already has in place that allows state and local law enforcement entities to partner with ICE in order to receive "delegated authority for immigration enforcement within their jurisdictions." The program has been in place since 1996.
In total, 78 agencies in 20 states participate in the program.
Hernando County currently has two deputies who have been through the program's training. The agency's goal is to have five deputies go through the program.
"What it allows agencies to do is free up ICE to deal with some of the more higher priority issues they have to deal with," said Hernando Sheriff Al Nienhuis. "And we can actually help keep track of those people who are here illegally or potentially here illegally."
"It will eliminate a lot of the illegal presence, which will help out the citizens of Hernando County," said Sergeant Dan Carriveau, one of Hernando's two deputies who have trained in the program. "If any tend to want to come here, hopefully it will send a message to them: 'Don't come to Hernando County.'"
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said it doesn't mean deputies are going to arrest people for being in the country illegally or going door-to-door asking for paperwork.
It does mean that, after a person is arrested, trained deputies can perform the function of an ICE agent as it relates to the suspect.
This latest announcement continues a busy first 100 days for the governor.
The governor has made a string of announcements during his short amount of time in office, issuing new ideas of everything from education and school security to lowering prescription drug prices to reviving jobs on the Space Coast.