WFB:
Among the most combative bills adopted during the Florida legislative session that concluded Saturday was the controversial new law that bans “sanctuary cities.”
The measure – a legislative priority for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to the sign it into law – requires local jails and prisons to hold an undocumented immigrant charged or convicted of a crime for 48 hours past their release dates to give federal Immigration & Customs Enforcement [ICE] agents time to collect and deport them.
Under the new law, the governor also has the authority to initiate “judicial proceedings” against local officials who do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, endorse “sanctuary city policies” or implement “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
Democrats and other critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU], say Florida has never had a “sanctuary city” and that ICE, not Florida’s sheriffs, has an extensive history of not responding in a timely manner to local jails’ requests to collect flagged undocumented detainees.
The ACLU is among advocacy groups expected to challenge the law in court, questioning the constitutionality of local law enforcement’s increasing role as an executor of federal immigration policy.
On Monday, ACLU Deputy Political Director Lorella Praeli cited ICE’s announcement that Pinellas County will be the nation’s first jurisdiction to participate in a newly-created Warrant Service Officer program as “just the latest scheme by ICE to enlist local police in its abusive deportation agenda.”
ICE’s Warrant Service Officer [WSO] program will train and certify local law enforcement officers to serve federal immigration warrants on detained undocumented immigrants. read more
“…abusive deportation agenda.” Orwell couldn’t come up with crazier shit.