Key West commission votes to end ICE immigration enforcement agreement
The Key West commission has voted to end the city's partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Residents packed City Hall on Monday night and voiced their concerns during the nearly two-hour long public comment section, the .
In the end, Key West city commissioners voted 6-1 to approve a resolution that calls on the city manager and police chief to end the city's with ICE. The agreement, which was signed March 4, was put in place by the city's police chief, but did not have the commission's approval.
The resolution also directs the city manager and police chief to "refrain" from entering into any new agreements "until the courts have ruled on the obligations imposed on local governments," according to Keys News.
The resolution also stated that the city's police department will assist in federal immigration enforcement when requested.
What is ICE's 287 (g) agreement program
The 287(g) agreement is a federal program that deputizes local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws. It gives them the authority to stop, question, and arrest individuals suspected of being in the country unlawfully.
Every sheriff's office in Florida has signed this agreement.
In voiding the agreement, the Key West commission has defied the wishes of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has pushed for statewide participation in the 287(g) program. The governor has asked the legislature to give him the power to suspend law enforcement officials who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after the commission's vote that "The City of Key West will be hearing from my office very soon."
