By Gisela Salomon and Kate Payne, Associated Press
Miami (AP) – The list of local police services and state agencies that joined President Donald Trump’s campaign for mass deportations has climbed more than 500, with almost half of Florida.
This cooperation will be exposed Thursday when Florida Governor Ron Desantis will join officials from the United States Department of Internal Security to boast an operation which, according to the authorities, has aroused around 800 immigration arrests in less than a week.
Local police may arrest immigration and have people for immigration violations under specific agreements. American immigration and customs application had 135 agreements in 21 states in December. This number has increased to 506 agreements in 38 states, with 74 additional agencies pending approval.
While the Trump administration increases cooperation with state and local agencies, it evolves to retaliate against those who limit the immigration authorities. On Monday, the president signed an executive decree to publish a list of “sanctuaries” jurisdictions and reiterated the threats of criminal accusations against state or local officials who thwarted federal policy.
The defenders who oppose local officials who embark on the application of immigration claim that the practice violates a clause of the American Constitution which makes the authorities federal and non -state.
“It is a question of finding methods to terrorize communities,” said Katie Blankenship, an immigration lawyer and co -founder of Sanctuary of the South, adding that local law enforcement agents are not trained to manage immigration problems “in any case.”
The deportation objectives may take it too large for ice alone
ICE, which has around 6,000 deportation agents, needs help to illegally achieve Trump’s goal to deport many of the 11 million people in the country, a conservative estimate.
Texas, whose republican governor, Greg Abbott, has closely combined with Trump on immigration, has 76 application agreements, the second largest number of any state. They include an ink on April 10 with the State National Guard. Texas also signed an agreement with customs and the protection of American borders so that its national guard can stop people on the border.
Georgia and North Carolina have also joined Trump’s cause, but no state is approaching Florida cooperation, with agencies from the 67 counties. Some participating institutions seem to have little or even nothing, to do with the application of immigration, including Florida Department of Lottery Services and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
No agreement of this type was signed during the Biden administration. Many new pacts respect a “model of great work” under which the police arrest immigrants in the streets and in communities, as opposed to a “model of prison application” under which ice only takes care of people when they are placed in local and local prisons or prisons.
Florida officials say that many local agencies are still waiting for federal training. However, the latest ice arrests, part of what the agency calls “Operation Tidal Wave”, show how state and local roles can grow.
An operation involved around 80 state soldiers from Florida Highway Patrol and targeted people in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tallahassee, as well as in the counties of Broward and Miami-Dade, said Bill Smith, president of the FHP section of Florida Police Benvolent Association. A spokesperson for Florida Highway Patrol did not answer questions.
Authorities have targeted people who faced the final expulsion orders and have owned other people on stopping mandates for previous offenses, such as driving under the influence or without a license, said Smith.
“Florida leads the nation to active cooperation with the Trump administration for immigration application and expulsion operations!” Desantis said that after Ice announced arrests on Saturday.
Some immigrant defenders said most of the arrests were local police and soldiers from the state of the state of the state of the ice. People were detained during traffic stops or when working. Some did not have a criminal record and sought asylum, or had work permits, the defenders said.
A family is suddenly torn apart
Jessica Ramírez, general coordinator of Florida Farm Workers Association, said most people arrested were men. In some cases, but few, ice officials hit the door of immigrants’ houses, she said.
“People are extremely afraid of going out and driving, are afraid of the police,” said Ramírez. “The recommendation is to drive carefully, follow the rules and not give the police a reason to arrest them.”
Chica, a 25 -year -old Guatemalan woman who asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of being detained, said his partner Fernando, the father of her 3 month old baby, had been detained on Friday morning while driving in a car with three other immigrants at his construction work. Chica has not heard of him since.
“Darling, the police caught us,” said Fernando, a 20 -year -old Guatemalan, sent him a text at 7:47 am
Chica said he had a pending asylum application and a work permit. The police asked the driver of the car to show his license, but he did not. The police then held the four, including Fernando, who came to the United States alone in 2020.
“I am really worried. I cannot believe that they have caught it,” said Chica, who now plans to return to Guatemala. “I’m afraid they are expulse it and I will be left here without anyone help.”
Grady Judd, the Sheriff of Polk County, in the center of Florida, described the operation “to lower in the bucket” and expressed his frustration with what he called the incapacity of the federal government to make arrests and moves on a larger scale.
“The reason I think they focused on those ready for expulsion is that there is no room to put volumes of people,” said Judd. “We look forward to cooperating with them. But it is a system and a process of the federal government. And that doesn’t change very quickly. ”
Payne reported in Tallahassee, Florida.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
