A sheriff in Florida has expressed readiness to support the Trump administration’s efforts in immigration enforcement but highlighted concerns regarding insufficient detention capacity.
Fox News Digital spoke with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on the current status of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“We heard President Trump loud and clear when he said start with the worst first, and let’s get these illegal aliens out of the country,” Judd said.
He emphasized a major challenge: the federal government’s limited ability to detain migrants, which often results in those arrested being released back onto the streets due to inadequate resources from ICE.
This demand for more detention facilities and resources has emerged as the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) has become the first in the country to train and deploy troopers under the federal 287(g) program, permitting selected state officers to enforce immigration laws alongside federal agents.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the initiative is already delivering results and believes it could serve as a blueprint for other states seeking to take immigration enforcement into their own hands.
Judd called for federal executive action, saying, “The president is the only one that can break this logjam.”
The Sunshine State, he said, is prepared to execute practical solutions, such as setting up temporary “soft side housing” for detainees, modeled after hurricane emergency shelters.
“We’re eager to make it happen. We’re sitting on go,” he said, while criticizing the lack of support. “The federal government doesn’t have the infrastructure to hold them, nor are they willing to pay when we offer the infrastructure.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd discussed how his department is assisting ICE with arresting and apprehending criminal migrants. (Fox News Digital)
Judd defended ICE personnel, acknowledging their efforts despite what he describes as inherited limitations from the previous Biden administration.
“But they are limited,” he said. “They’re severely limited because they’re operating with the resources that the Biden administration left them with. And the Biden administration wasn’t into deporting people. They were into importing people.”
The sheriff said stricter detention policies will serve as a deterrent for migrants.
“We’ve got to stop the game playing, and only the federal government can do it,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.
Fox News’ Danamarie McNicholl contributed to this report.
