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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said leaders in the state’s most southern municipality face possible removal from office if they fail to restore an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Tuesday, the Key West city commissioners voted 5-1 to void an agreement that requires its police department to partner with ICE.
The federal program known as 287(g) allows local authorities to perform certain federal immigration enforcement functions, including allowing officers to question, arrest and detain people suspected of violating immigration law.
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“I try not to make decisions with my heart because it can get me into trouble,” said Commissioner Donald Lee, the city’s former police chief who voted to sever the so-called 287(g) agreement, the Miami Herald reported. “Tonight, I am going to make a decision from my heart, and I hope it doesn’t get the city in trouble.”
In a letter Wednesday to the commissioners, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said their vote violates state law and has essentially made Key West a “sanctuary city.”
“Florida law unequivocally forbids sanctuary cities,” Uthmeier wrote while demanding the city reverse course. “Failure to take corrective action will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including removal from office by the governor.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Uthmeier, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the six Key West commissioners.
Law enforcement agencies that operate county jails in Florida must enter partnerships with the federal government so their officers can carry out limited immigration agent functions, the Herald reported.
On Tuesday, DeSantis told reporters Key West leaders could face suspension for not upholding the agreement.
“I think the attorney general has weighed in on that, and I’ll let him do the analysis and send them whatever warnings need to be sent,” DeSantis said at the opening of the new “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center in the Everglades.
“But the reality is you have a responsibility for full participation,” he added. “And you can virtue signal and try to make political statements, but the reality is local governments have to abide by Florida law.”
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