DeSantis Responds To FL Sheriffs Who Want To Scale Down Arrests Of Illegal Aliens
Florida sheriffs and police chiefs who are on the state’s Immigration Enforcement Council made headlines this week after six out of eight members came out in favor of mainly targeting illegal aliens with criminal records, instead of anyone who is in the country illegally.
“We are 100 percent full throttle in favor of it and support it,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri “But what’s right’s right and what’s not’s not.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who is no stranger to national headlines due to his comments on being tough on crime, said he wants Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for illegals who are, otherwise, following the law and contributing to the community.
Judd has since doubled down on his stance following heavy criticism.
The board said they will be writing a letter to President Donald Trump to urge him to shift immigration enforcement priorities and to call for Congress to create that pathway to citizenship for those who qualify.
What made their recent comments more head turning was the fact that the members were appointed by Republicans such as Governor Ron DeSantis and Senate President Ben Albritton.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters opposed the majority’s opinion, saying, “I was not on the call referenced and do not share or endorse the comments made by others. Our focus remains on enforcing the law and continuing our mission to make Jacksonville a safer place for all residents.”
DeSantis addressed the debate on Thursday during his press conference in Bradenton.
“This idea that unless you’re an axe murderer you should be able to stay, that is not consistent with our laws and it’s also not good policy,” he said.
“’You come illegally and you stay until you commit a really violent crime,’ that just doesn’t work. It’s incoherent and it’s not what the President ran on,” he continued, adding that sending a letter to the president to go back on his campaign promise would be a bad idea.
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As I previously reported when I was with the Florida Highway Patrol, due to Florida law that requires all law enforcement agencies to actively work with ICE and Border Patrol, state and local agencies have made over 20,000 arrests since spring of last year.
As someone who has been covering immigration and the southern border since 2019, I can tell you the recent weak-kneed response to leftist violence and media distortions…