NICEVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Cupboard held an emergency assembly on Monday to approve and implement unlawful immigration enforcement measures.
The Florida Legislature handed SB 2C creating the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, which was signed into regulation by Gov. Ron DeSantis final week.
Legal professional Common James Uthmeier nominated former Public Security Czar Larry Keefe to be the chief director for the State Board of Immigration Enforcement. Uthmeier mentioned Keefe labored with regulation enforcement all throughout the state to “spearhead interdiction efforts.”
“He additionally helped set up some relocation flights that I feel a few of you might need heard about, together with one to Martha’s Winery. He earlier than that, served President Trump as a United States Legal professional for North Florida,” Uthmeier mentioned.
The cupboard voted on a decision for the director to implement emergency rule making to implement the Native Legislation Enforcement Grant Program.
The cupboard additionally voted on two resolutions, one relating to rulemaking for the Native Legislation Enforcement Immigration Grant Program and one for Information Assortment & Reporting Necessities.
DeSantis mentioned the brand new govt director will develop reporting requirements for state and native regulation enforcement to “guarantee they’re assembly their obligations to help the Trump administration in imposing the regulation and finishing up this very, essential mission.”
“So we may have simply sat on our fingers. We may have waited till March after we had been already scheduled to satisfy as a cupboard, however that’s not the best way we roll right here. We predict that that is time delicate,” DeSantis mentioned.
#BREAKING: Florida Cupboard is choosing Public Security Czar Larry Keefe as state’s new govt director of the Florida Board of Immigration Enforcement
Keefe helped orchestrate the well-known migrant flights to Martha’s Winery
The brand new position will work to coordinate Florida’s… pic.twitter.com/MQnJnKjIFR
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) February 17, 2025
The assembly agenda mentioned the chief director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement is permitted to carry out or train the next statutory powers and duties of the Board:
- Supervise, direct, coordinate, and administer the day-to-day duties and capabilities of the Board in accordance with chapter 908, F.S.
- Function a useful resource to the USA Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- Coordinate with the Federal Authorities in issues associated to immigration.
- Coordinate with and supply help to regulation enforcement businesses within the enforcement of federal immigration legal guidelines and different issues associated to the enforcement of federal immigration legal guidelines, and monitor native authorities compliance with the necessities of this chapter.
Together with the board, the laws additionally created a State Immigration Enforcement Council throughout the board, which consists of sheriffs and police chiefs for the aim of advising the board.
On Monday afternoon, Home Speaker Daniel Perez introduced the appointment of Duval County Sheriff T.Okay. Waters and Charlotte County Sheriff Invoice Prummell to the council.
Senate President Ben Albritton appointed Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd to the council.
The State Immigration Enforcement Council can have eight members. The Senate President and Home Speaker every appoint two sheriffs. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Governor, Legal professional Common, and Chief Monetary Officer every appoint one police chief. FDLE staffs the Council.
The Council will “advise the State Board of Immigration Enforcement on the work of native regulation enforcement to implement federal immigration regulation, suggest methods to extend the variety of out there detention beds, facilitate coaching of native regulation enforcement within the enforcement of federal immigration regulation, and supply different coordination with the Trump Administration.”
