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Fort Myers OKs agreement with ICE after removal threat by state attorney general
Fort Myers OKs agreement with ICE after removal threat by state attorney general
by Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix
March 21, 2025
The Fort Myers City Council reversed course amid legal threats from the state’s attorney general and signed an agreement with the federal government deputizing city police officers to act as immigration enforcement officials.
The reversal of the council’s block of the agreement with U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) came three days after Attorney General James Uthmeier sent them a letter warned that Gov. Ron DeSantis could remove them from office if they didn’t approve the agreement.
Three city council members who voted against the agreement earlier said they did so because they didn’t have enough information about the legal consequences, with council member Darla Bonk blaming the city’s attorney.
“We were never told this vote could expose us to becoming labeled as a sanctuary city despite the city’s continued lawful cooperation with ICE. That omission is critical to the lack of efficacy that we were displayed,” Bonk said during the Friday meeting.
“The role of the city attorney is not merely advisory, it is protective. It is the duty of our city attorney to guide this council clearly, lawfully, and thoroughly, especially when our decisions carry legal, financial, and physical implications.”
Uthmeier’s letter warned the council that its decision not to enter the agreement with ICE implicitly made Fort Myers a sanctuary city, which Florida law bans. Under a so-called 287(g) federal-state task force model, city police officers who receive training could question people about their immigration status and detain them if they are subject to deportation.
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Responding to the council’s cave, Uthmeier said on X: “Good choice.” DeSantis appointed Uthmeier, his former chief of staff, as attorney general last month to replace Ashley Moody, now a U.S. senator.
The packed audience at the meeting erupted into boos after the council voted unanimously to approve the agreement with ICE, although police Deputy Chief Victor Medico couldn’t say how many officers would receive the 40-hour mandatory online training.
City Attorney Grant Alley urged the council to support the agreement.
“The attorney general’s opinion is not law, but it is persuasive. It should be given great weight,” Alley said, noting that it’s not clear whether the council broke the law.
Still, council members said they still had concerns about racial profiling, which was the reason the Obama administration discontinued its use of the 287(g) agreements after investigations and lawsuits in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Despite profiling concerns, more law agencies are joining street-level immigration enforcement
“To be clear, our vote was in concern to this because of the potential of violation of the Fourth Amendment and the racial profiling. It wasn’t that we are not in agreement of the city of Fort Myers Police Department collaborating with ICE, because we have been doing that,” Council member Diana Giraldo said, referencing a 2021 agreement allowing city police to execute and serve search orders, warrants, and subpoenas.
The agreement at issue during the Friday meeting would go beyond that, empowering police to detain people without warrants.
How are other cities and counties reacting to the pressure?
The courts could provide guidance on whether Uthmeier’s interpretation is correct, so the city of South Miami wants to punt the matter to the judicial branch, according to the Miami Herald. However, that city has not formally asked a court to intervene.
Fort Myers is not the only place where DeSantis’ push for sheriffs, state agencies, and municipalities to enter into the agreements that he labeled as the maximum level of cooperation that will lead to street-level enforcement.
In Pinellas County, the chief of school police signed a 287(g) agreement without the knowledge or authorization of the school board and superintendent, with an inquiry from Florida Phoenix alerting district officials that he had done so. Luke Williams, chief of Pinellas County Schools Police, said during a meeting on March 11 that he signed the agreement because he thought he had to.
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This story has been updated to include information about a 2021 agreement between the city police and ICE.
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. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
The post Fort Myers OKs agreement with ICE after removal threat by state attorney general appeared first on floridaphoenix.com
News from the South - Florida News Feed
Ozzy Osbourne says farewell to live performance with a hometown show for 40,000 fans
SUMMARY: Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal icon, performed what he says was his last-ever live show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, with the original Black Sabbath lineup. Despite his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Osbourne sang from a black throne, urging fans to “let the madness begin” and expressing heartfelt thanks. Joined onstage for the first time in 20 years by bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, they closed with the classic “Paranoid.” The event was part of a metal festival featuring Anthrax, Metallica, and Guns N’ Roses, with tributes from celebrities like Elton John. Osbourne’s career began in 1968 with Black Sabbath, and he gained mainstream fame in the 2000s through MTV’s “The Osbournes.”
The post Ozzy Osbourne says farewell to live performance with a hometown show for 40,000 fans appeared first on www.clickorlando.com
News from the South - Florida News Feed
Protesters take to South Florida streets to speak out against Trump’s immigration policies
SUMMARY: Protesters in South Florida rallied for the second consecutive day against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, particularly after ICE received additional funding and a new detention center opened in the Everglades. Demonstrators gathered outside the Broward Transitional Center, where Marie Ange Blaise, a 44-year-old Haitian woman, died in ICE custody in April. Democratic Congresswoman Sheila McCormack called for a hearing to investigate Blaise’s death amid concerns over the treatment of immigrants. Organizers and protesters condemned the new detention facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” citing its dangerous location surrounded by wildlife and inhumane conditions. ICE’s funding increase supports more agents and facilities.
CBS News Miami’s Steve Maugeri was there during the demonstrations.
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News from the South - Florida News Feed
Iran’s supreme leader makes first public appearance since Iran-Israel war started
SUMMARY: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance since the 12-day war with Israel began, attending a mourning ceremony in Tehran. During the conflict, Khamenei stayed in a bunker amid heightened threats. The war involved Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Iranian missile retaliation, causing over 900 Iranian deaths and significant nuclear facility damage. Iran has since suspended cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The ceremony commemorated the martyrdom of Hussein, a pivotal figure in Shiite Islam, reflecting deep religious and political significance in Iran’s identity and current tensions.
The post Iran’s supreme leader makes first public appearance since Iran-Israel war started appeared first on www.news4jax.com
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