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Tag: Florida ICE

  • Florida approves cops’ requests for $2M in immigration enforcement money

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    Credit: Ron DeSantis/X

    Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Wednesday approved more than $2 million in immigration enforcement money for local agencies seeking AI language translators, pepper spray, GPS trackers, handcuffs, bonuses, and more.

    The $2.4 million greenlit to 10 law enforcement agencies means Florida has now approved roughly $21 million of the original $250 million diverted by the Legislature in February to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

    DeSantis and the Cabinet members, who make up the newly created State Board of Immigration Enforcement, approved the money unanimously.

    The board is part of a broader Florida crackdown on undocumented immigration. In February, the GOP-dominated Legislature approved a sweeping measure demanding all counties partner with ICE, creating state-level penalties for entering Florida without proper documentation, and removing in-state tuition for undocumented college students.

    The Florida law came right as President Donald Trump took office, ordering mass deportations and setting aside mass sums of money for states to set up migrant detention centers. Florida was the first state to do so with “Alligator Alcatraz,” a sprawling, controversial facility in the heart of the Everglades.

    Where is the money going?

    The largest lump of the $2.4 million will go to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, which requested the most money ($738,451) for the widest-ranging variety of immigration-related activity. 

    After the Florida Highway Patrol, the South Florida county is responsible for the most encounters with suspected undocumented immigrants and the most non-citizens arrested on federal immigration charges, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s immigration dashboard.

    Martin County’s breakdown includes:

    $2,546 for 30 handcuffs and 30 leg irons; $13,153 for tactical goggles, ballistic helmets, and bulletproof vests; $1,639 for 10 canisters of high-volume pepper spray; $271,103 for a rapid DNA testing machine; $136,736 for license plate readers; $185,029 for tasers; and $859 for Bluetooth rechargeable shooting ear protectors.

    The next highest grant is for Volusia County Corrections, totaling $505,789. The asks include $68,400 for detention beds, $22,400 to train 40 officers under the 287(g) program, $43,000 in bonuses for correctional officers, $183,760 for six detection screening systems to check migrants for “contraband,” $182,500 for a full-body security scanning system to check migrants for contraband, fevers, and health problems, $1,400 for 72 uniforms, and $4,100 for 50 mattresses.

    GPS trackers, AI translators, and biometric scans

    The remaining requests came from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Madison Police Department, the Fruitland Park Police Department, the City of Port Richey Police Department, the town of Havana, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the town of Welaka Police Department, and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.

    The majority of the money is for license plate readers, overtime, or bonuses for law enforcement or correctional officers. Fruitland Park received $22,300 for GPS trackers. According to the submitted request, the department plans to deploy the trackers against “a suspect vehicle … allowing officers to safely monitor vehicles suspected of transporting unauthorized aliens.”

    Havana received $93,687 for body-worn cameras, $90,088 for tasers, and $6,201 for nine universal AI language translators. These translators will “facilitate effective communication with non-English [speaking] individuals during stops and immigration focused activities.”

    Putnam County received $17,378 for six laptops; $5,793 for handcuffs, leg cuffs, and chains; $69,384 for 21 Rapid ID devices, and $2,557 for one “Rapid ID two finger biometric device accompanied by a DNA barcode.”

    These would be used to determine “accurate biometric identification of detainees.”



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    Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • Florida bill would let families sue for killings by undocumented immigrants, fine police not working with ICE

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    Credit: Photo by J.D. Casto

    A Florida Republican filed a bill Tuesday that would fine law enforcement agencies for not partnering with ICE and allowing families whose loved ones were killed by a noncitizen to sue certain local governments.

    HB 229, filed by Seminole state Rep. Berny Jacques, would use the new $10,000 fine for out-of-compliance law enforcement to compensate the aggrieved families. It’s the largest proposed change so far to Florida immigration laws ahead of the 2026 session.

    “Florida stands against lawlessness,” Jacques — who’s also sponsoring legislation to require all employers to verify new hires’ immigration status — said in a press release. “We will stand with law-abiding citizens first and ensure that those who break our laws are held accountable.”

    The four-page bill builds off a sweeping law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February. That law, which removed in-state tuition for undocumented college students and created state-level immigration crimes, requires county law enforcement to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in so-called 287(g) agreements.

    Although cities are not required to enter into these agreements, the state has argued that they can’t purposely cancel the partnerships once they’ve been enacted. This would constitute active defiance of Florida’s mandate that cities use their “best efforts” to combat illegal immigration, Florida officials say.

    HB 229 provides new penalties for noncompliance. Law enforcement agencies refusing to work with ICE would be fined $10,000 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE would use that money to compensate families whose loved ones were killed by noncitizens, as long as the crime was committed on or after July 1, 2026, and the family fills out a form with FDLE.

    Similarly, these families would be able to sue out-of-compliance police or a local government if it has a sanctuary policy protecting undocumented immigrants — although these are already illegal in Florida — and if its negligence paved the way for the Floridian’s death.

    Jacques’ bill is named the “Shane Jones Act” after a man who was killed in a traffic accident by an immigrant illegally in the country. He left behind two children and his wife, Nikki Jones, has since appeared alongside DeSantis in press events to call for stronger state-level immigration laws.

    “For too long, American families have been left to pick up the pieces after their loved ones were taken from them by crimes that could have been prevented,” Jones said in Jacques’ press release. “The Shane Jones Act represents a turning point — finally holding local governments accountable when they fail to enforce immigration laws.”

    Other immigration-related bills filed ahead of the 2026 legislative session include Jacques’ bill expanding the E-Verify system to all private employers, and Sen. Don Gaetz’s bill to prevent undocumented immigrants from driving commercial vehicles.

    Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

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    Organizers behind the amendment call the actions by Secretary of State Cord Byrd, appointed by DeSantis, ‘unlawful’ and unprecedented

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    The hearing comes nearly a year after health regulators announced intent to award licenses to 22 of dozens of applicants



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    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • Florida vows ‘vigilance’ at detention centers after Dallas ICE facility shooting – Orlando Weekly

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    Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

    The Florida governor’s office is vowing continued vigilance at the state’s detention centers hours after a now-deceased shooter killed two detainees and injured another at a Dallas ICE facility Wednesday morning.

    “Florida will continue to be vigilant in ensuring safety and security at our detention facilities,” Molly Best, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, told the Florida Phoenix in a statement.

    “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” are Florida’s two main migrant detention centers working in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They were mostly constructed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management at the direction of top leaders, and together can hold over 5,000 people. Specific security details at the facilities were not provided by the state due to cited security risks.

    FDEM did not respond to a request for comment.

    According to the Department of Homeland Security, a gunman attacked an ICE Dallas field office Wednesday morning, firing “indiscriminately” at both the building and a van near the entrance. This is where three detainees were shot, killing two and putting the third in critical condition.

    The gunman then committed suicide, DHS continued.

    “We can confirm, the shell casings were found with anti-ICE messages on them. This was an attack on ICE law enforcement,” the statement posted on social media says. “This horrific attack occurred amidst the 1000% increase in assaults against @ICEgov.

    “Politicians and media pundits must stop the vile lies and smears designed to demonize and dehumanize ICE law enforcement. This shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences,” the agency added.

    The Dallas attack came a month after an individual was arrested for threatening Dallas ICE officers with an alleged “detonator” on his wrist.

    “Alligator Alcatraz,” located deep within the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, was the nation’s first major ICE facility constructed after Donald Trump assumed the presidency. Trump joined DeSantis and other top federal and state officials on July 1 to celebrate the center’s opening.

    Since then, Florida has opened “Deportation Depot” in Baker County and has floated the “Panhandle Pokey” in northwest Florida. Florida also has four other, smaller, state-run centers.

    Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

    Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.

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    ‘For decades, the Attorney General’s Office has functioned to prop up the powerful and corrupt’

    ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and ‘Deportation Depot’ are Florida’s two main detention centers working in conjunction with ICE

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    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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