Overview
- Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly rejected a plan from the State Immigration Enforcement Council to urge federal leaders to create a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants with no criminal records.
- Council chair Grady Judd said the sheriffs want clearer deportation priorities and a way to treat law‑abiding, integrated immigrants differently, while maintaining full cooperation with ICE and prioritizing the removal of criminals.
- The proposed letter to President Donald Trump and congressional leaders has not been released, and Judd held a follow‑up press conference insisting sheriffs still back deporting offenders and enforcing the law.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier dismissed the recommendations, stating that anyone in the country illegally is breaking the law, while Jacksonville Sheriff T. K. Waters said he did not participate in or endorse the council’s push.
- Other council members, including Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Charlotte Sheriff Bill Prummell, voiced support for focusing resources on dangerous offenders and raised concerns about ICE sweeps detaining noncriminal 'collaterals,' a debate informed by data showing many detainees lack criminal records.