Key West Approves Agreement To Enforce Immigration Laws with ICE

The Key West City Commission voted Tuesday night to approve a 287(g) agreement between the city’s Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The vote was 4-2.

The resolution sponsored by Mayor Danise Henriquez authorizes Key West City Manager Brian Barroso to enter into the agreement to allow the Police Department to receive training and participate in federal immigration operations. The resolution also says that the city “should not adopt or maintain any sanctuary policies” as defined by Florida law. It took effect immediately.

Approval of the resolution came less than a week after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that the Commission had violated Florida law when it voided an earlier agreement between ICE and the police department on June 30. It came after nearly three hours of public comment, with the vast majority of the public calling on the Commission to stand by its vote to void an earlier agreement between the Police Chief and ICE.

The Commission approved a second resolution expressing support for Haitians with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS protects immigrants from certain countries from deportation and allows them to work legally in the United States. However, Haitians in the United States will lose that protection as of Sept. 2, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. A spokesperson for DHS has said that the situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is “now safe for Haitian citizens to return home.” That measure passed, 5-1.

A third resolution calling on the city attorney to join in the legal action by the city of South Miami testing the legality of the requirement to enter into a 287(g) agreement was voted down, 4-2.