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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has reported more immigration-related encounters than any other local law enforcement agency in Florida. That’s according to the state board of immigration enforcement.
What You Need To Know
- The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has reported over 400 immigration-related encounters since August
- Sheriff Judd explains the increase is due to daily operations and access to new warrants
- The state board of immigration enforcement was created to help deport individuals without legal status
The Polk County Sheriff’s office polices around 850,000 people, and its goal is to keep everyone safe.
“We’re not out here going to job sites, going to businesses, going to agriculture fields. We’re just bumping into people as we do our normal daily business,” Sheriff Grady Judd said about the office’s immigration enforcement.
Since August, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has had more than 400 immigration encounters, second in line after the Florida Highway Patrol. That’s according to the state board of immigration enforcement.
The board was created in February by Gov. Ron DeSantis to help deport people without legal status.
Judd says it’s part of their mission to help.
“I know it’s uncomfortable for a lot of wonderful people who are in this country illegally, but the bottom line is they’re here in violation of the federal law,” Judd said.
He says he was surprised to see the agency ranking higher than most, and it brought about questions.
Judd says they’re not doing anything different. Instead, he believes access to warrants that were once under ICE and now in the National Crime Information Center is allowing them to expand their reach to immigrants who are here illegally.
“Now anytime we stop a vehicle and do a warrants check, then we see those warrants. We didn’t see them before,” Judd said.
He also believes state and federal funding that is helping pay for training and reimbursing local law enforcement to help ice is aiding in those efforts.
“We put resources to make sure we met the duties and requirements under the law,” Judd said. “I think you’ll see some of the other agencies catching on as they learn the process.”
Other agencies in Polk County that reported encounters were the Winter Haven Police Department and the Lakeland Police Department.
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Lizbeth Gutierrez
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