ORLANDO, Fla. – The mayor of Orange County has approved a change permitting the county jail to move immigration detainees to ICE facilities. This comes in light of public disputes with Florida’s attorney general regarding the matter.
According to county representatives, Demings agreed to alter the memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement early Friday morning, as told to News 6.
The next step is to take the addendum to the Orange County Commission during its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
The decision followed pressure from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who insisted that Orange County officials endorse the addendum to the 287(g) agreement. Uthmeier warned of legal consequences and potential removal from office by Governor Ron DeSantis.
[VIDEO: Florida attorney general demands Orange County agree to transport immigrants to ICE facilities]
Uthmeier said that by not signing the agreement, Orange County was effectively a “sanctuary county,” a violation of public law.
Uthmeier stated, “Any local government action that hinders law enforcement from aiding federal immigration enforcement is deemed a sanctuary jurisdiction,” during his conversation with News 6’s Troy Campbell on Wednesday.
[WATCH: Uthmeier talks to News 6 about Orange County immigration debate]
Demings on Wednesday said he would not be bullied by the state attorney general.
Demings countered, noting, “It is somewhat ironic for the 37-year-old attorney general to personally criticize me and our board. I have spent more years working as a law enforcement officer on Florida’s streets than he has been alive.”
[WATCH: Orange County mayor pushes back on Florida attorney general’s demands]
Additionally, Demings expressed concerns regarding the county managing a larger inmate population due to the ICE initiative. The federal government reimburses the county only $88 per day for each inmate, while the actual cost is $145 daily.
“To date, the state hasn’t kicked in any money in terms of whatever the difference is,” Demings said, when we asked whether the state has contributed financially to the housing of inmates on ICE detainers. “We’re working with the comptroller’s office to really validate what the true cost is for Orange County to hold federal inmates in our facilities.”
When News 6’s Mike Valente spoke to Demings on Thursday, Demings did not say whether he would sign the addendum, and would not respond further on Uthmeier’s statements.
[WATCH: Orange County mayor stands by comments to attorney general]
“I’m not going to go there,” he said. “I mean, I said what I said at that point. We’ll move forward. The state had not had great communication about the immigration issues. We just got a letter release via the media. They didn’t even afford us the courtesy of directly sending the letter to us. And so, I don’t know, when you say ‘disparaging ‘— we’re going to move forward.”
Demings signed the original ICE agreement earlier this year, despite pushback from community advocates and even some Orange County commissioners.
Demings at the time said that not signing the agreement would have “greater, catastrophic impacts on our community.”
“As the CEO for Orange County, I cannot allow that to happen,” Demings said. “Especially after talking with (Public Safety Director Danny Banks) and (Chief of Corrections Louis Quiñones) about what’s the impact on us. ‘Are they asking us to do anything that we don’t do today?’ And the answer was no. We do this today with the exception of Chief Quiñones’ staff actually serving, being part of the group that serves the warrants, the ICE detainers. But in talking with the county attorney’s office, this is a mandate, this is the law. If you do not sign the agreement, you are essentially in violation of the law, and these are the consequences.”
Some commissioners, though, have continued to press for information and to find a way to get out of the agreement.
“We are continuing to be complacent in something that not only historically is going to be shown immoral, and I believe cruel and indefensible,” District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson said during a June meeting.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
[READ THE ICE 287(G) agreement]
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