Florida has a ‘blueprint' to curb illegal immigration. Here's what's in it.
The document, called the Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, details how the state should carry out mass deportations and serves as an example for other states across the nation.
Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, has another name for it: the Florida Blueprint.
'We can do more,' Keefe said Monday in Tampa. 'We have more capacity, more capability.'
The plan says it's 'a road map for the significant role that the state of Florida can play in aiding the federal government in combating illegal immigration during the present emergencies and going forward into the future.'
Details of the plan were first reported Thursday by the news service Gannett.
Among the plan's goals: Enhance intelligence collection and analysis by leveraging existing state databases and coordination between agencies. It includes providing resources for immigration and border security efforts at all levels.
Florida has deployed representatives from an array of agencies, including the Division of Emergency Management, Department of Corrections and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to support the intelligence-sharing operations.
The plan aims to develop a comprehensive strategy to maintain state-led border security operations in the absence of federal support.
According to the plan, Florida has approximately 47,000 law enforcement officers who have already received, or are in the process of obtaining, training and certification to act as immigration officers under the 287(g) program, which allows local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
At an event in Tampa on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that 100 Florida Highway Patrol troopers have been sworn in as special deputy U.S. Marshals, a designation that allows them to act and operate with the same powers as an immigration agent.
DeSantis said Florida can be an example for other states in fighting illegal immigration.
'If you look nationwide at all the law enforcement agencies that have entered in 287(g) agreements with the federal government, more than half of them are in one state. Guess what state that is? The state of Florida,' DeSantis said.
The plan also considers training judge advocate generals as immigration judges through the Florida National Guard. It proposes suspending federal detention standards to avoid the risk that many could be released due to limited detention space, and to increase the state's capacity to arrest people.
The plan proposes building more detention centers in parts of northeastern and south-central Florida, with the capacity to hold up to 10,000 people. These temporary or long-term facilities, selected for their access to nearby airstrips, could be constructed and 'fully operational within 72 hours,' using a network of about a dozen private contractors already working with the state, the plan indicates.
The plan adds that Florida should prepare to move forward on its own, 'independently of the Department of Homeland Security,' and create a state-run immigration enforcement effort.
The plan outlines some costs associated with transporting immigrants. One option: Purchasing and modifying 12-passenger vans at a cost of up to $124,000. Others include leasing a fleet of buses for about $1.5 million, or vans for nearly $780,000, over a two-week period.
Florida National Guard or state law enforcement officers could be tapped to transport immigrants to detention facilities.
The blueprint reintroduces the idea to run a self-deportation program and create some ways for the state government to cover the costs of people who choose to leave the country voluntarily. The Division of Emergency Management, it states, may be able to help purchase commercial flights for eligible individuals.
The plan said that the state should seek reimbursement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for any transportation and removal efforts involving detainees. But it also acknowledges that it may not be fully repaid.
'The federal government has shown itself to be very hesitant to commit to any form of reimbursement to past or future immigration operations,' the plan reads. 'There may come a time when, without federal assistance, a long-term immigration support mission may become fiscally untenable.'
Lisette Sanchez, an immigration attorney in Tampa, said the Florida plan is alarming not only from a constitutional and legal standpoint, she said, but also from a humanitarian and operational perspective.
Sanchez recognized the importance of addressing immigration challenges. However, she said the Florida plan raises 'serious concerns.'
'This approach appears to blur the lines between state and federal authority, potentially leading to constitutional conflicts and due process issues,' said Sanchez.
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