Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is standing firm against pressure from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, rejecting accusations that the county has adopted a “sanctuary policy” by declining to expand its partnership with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
Demings refused to sign a proposed addendum to the county’s existing 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement, which would give local corrections officers the authority to transport illegal aliens to ICE-approved detention facilities like Alligator Alcatraz.
“I am not going to be bullied by the state attorney general,” Demings said Wednesday at a news conference, according to WESH-TV. “I find it somewhat ironic that the 37-year-old attorney general is attacking me personally, attacking our board. I spent more years patrolling the streets of Florida as a law enforcement officer than he’s been alive.”
A stern warning letter from Uthmeier was sent to Orange County officials Tuesday, accusing Demings and county commissioners of adopting a “sanctuary policy” prohibited by state law. Uthmeier threatened legal and criminal penalties, including potential removal from office for commissioners.
Uthmeier pointed out that Florida Statute 908.104(1) requires state and local jurisdictions to “use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.”
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Author: Marty Kaufmann
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