TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The City of Tallahassee looking into potential legal action on whether the city is required to have a 287(g) agreement with ICE after hearing residents’ concerns during the commission meeting.
- The city manager and chief of the Tallahassee Police Department signed the 287(g) agreement to be in compliance, but commissioners are growing more concerned about ICE raids across the county.
- Right now, state law only requires county law enforcement to sign onto the agreement.
- Watch the video to hear why commissioners are hoping for clarification of who’s required to sign-on and why advocates are calling for it to be rescinded.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
To agree or not to agree?
That’s the question the City of Tallahassee is looking to answer.
It’s exploring potential legal action on whether the city is required to have a 287(g) agreement with ICE.
“We are all concerned with what we are seeing across the country. That does not take place in Tallahassee by Tallahassee Police Department,” Mayor John Dailey said.
Several neighbors putting the pressure on commissioners during its meeting Aug. 20.
“Why did you speak up about this?” ABC 27’s Brieanna Smith asked.
“I felt the need to do something about what I see as a threat to democracy, and this 287(g) agreement that is trying to get cities to help enforce federal immigration law as a threat to our democracy,” Mark Stevens, a resident who spoke about the agreement at the commission meeting, said.
And grassroots organization Power-Up People — they’ve been advocating against the agreement since a large-scale immigration raid in College Town in May.
“It’s also obviously negatively impacting families… it’s taking neighbors from their communities, and obviously, only a certain demographic of people are being targeted,” a member and community activist who goes by the name, Phénae, said.
Right now, Florida law only requires county sheriff’s and chief correctional officers operating detention facilities to enter into this agreement.
City manager Reese Goad and TPD entered this agreement, only training one officer.
The agency has not participated in any raid since joining.
“Right now, we are complying based upon the city attorney's legal opinion,” Dailey said.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier have threatened removal of local officials if they refuse or void 287(g) agreements.
“It would not be in my best interest to put myself in a position to potentially be removed from office,” Commissioner Curtis Richardson said during the meeting.
The conversation is under legal scrutiny by some Florida cities including the City of South Miami who’s created a lawsuit in response.
“We do need to concentrate on the legal opinion of not only what will come out of the courts very soon during this legal challenge, but also our city attorney in the attorney's office and how they interpret state and federal law to make sure that we are in full compliance,” Dailey said.
City commission is expected to bring up the topic at their next commission meeting on Sept. 3.
Neighbors say they hope the city will rescind the agreement.
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