Governor Ron DeSantis is weighing in after a council of law enforcement officers decided to draft a letter to congressional leaders.
It’s about creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who otherwise have no criminal record.
At a meeting of the State Immigration Enforcement Council, council chairman and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd offered a real-life scenario.
“There was one lady who was brought here from Colombia as a child and now she’s in her late 20s trying to go through the process to become legalized, and she was scooped up out of the waiting room at ICE for deportation back to Colombia," Judd said. "It was like, where in Colombia do I go? I don’t have any relatives, I don’t know anybody in Colombia.”
That’s an example of why Judd and the council are working on a letter to send the country’s leaders.
They want the priority to be on criminals, instead of law enforcement having to cast a wide net that’s supposed to catch all undocumented immigrants.
"If they waved a magic wand tomorrow and said we’re gonna deal with that, we still have a lifetime of work of getting the illegal immigrants out of this country that are here illegally committing crime,” Judd said.
Another council member, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, said he would support sending a letter to the feds. He backed Judd’s comments about wanting immigration enforcement – for criminals.
“We are 100% full throttle in favor of it and support (immigration enforcement)," Gualtieri said. "But, what’s right’s right, and what’s not’s not. And going after this mom who’s got three kids, who’s just trying to make a living, who’s been here for 15 years, the whole scenario you described, that isn’t right, and they do need to fix it.”
“This idea that unless you’re an axe murderer you should be able to stay, that is not consistent with our laws, and it’s also not good policy," said Governor Ron DeSantis, offering criticism a few days after the meeting.
He suggested the council NOT send a letter.
"You know, we have different people that are victimized by illegal aliens every day in this country. Not all of them have criminal records at the time. In fact, probably most of them don’t. But under some view, it’s like, okay yeah, you come illegally and then you stay until you commit a really violent crime," DeSantis said. "That just doesn’t work. It’s incoherent, and it’s not what the president ran on.”
“If somebody is here illegally in this country, then they have broken the law. Our job as law enforcement is to enforce the law," said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, quickly expressing disapproval over the letter.
Judd, who is known for his tough stance on immigration, says his office remains focused on those accused of criminal complaints and sometimes the people with them.
“We stopped the car for DUI and he had two drunk buddies who were illegal as well – or a police encounter," Judd said. "We’ve not had any conflict out of the community because we’re not going into strawberry fields or citrus groves or construction sites. It’s not necessary to do that.”
Judd says he’s not asking to give undocumented immigrants a free pass. He says they should pay a civil fine, learn English, and be required to work.
A letter will be drafted and presented at the council’s next quarterly meeting. If members approve it, the plan is to send it to congressional leaders as well as President Donald Trump.
