An outspoken Florida sheriff has issued a blunt warning to illegal immigrants in the Sunshine State to get out of the state before sweeping new deportation efforts go into effect. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has proposed a whirlwind of propositions to crack down on illegal immigration and push President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policy.
Joined by DeSantis at a press conference regarding illegal immigration in Winter Haven, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd (R) declared that illegal immigrants should deport themselves out of the state of Florida to avoid time in prison.
‘The mission is very simple: We need to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all in these United States of America.’
“And I leave with this message: ‘Southbound and down.’ Do it yourself. You can self-deport and avoid a lot of prison sentence, but it’s time. Southbound and down,” Sheriff Judd said on Wednesday.
Judd proclaimed, “Florida needs to set the example for the other states and support the president [Trump] to get rid of these criminals who are victimizing our people.”
During the press conference, Judd highlighted specific crimes carried out by illegal immigrants, including cases of murder, DUI manslaughter, and organized theft rings.
DeSantis declared that Florida will do everything in its power to execute Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
“We in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission,” DeSantis stated. “The mission is very simple: We need to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all in these United States of America.”
Florida sued the Biden administration on several occasions, including over its “illegal” catch-and-release policies and alleged refusal to assist the state in purging noncitizens from voter rolls in the 2024 election.
DeSantis scheduled a special session to begin a week after Trump’s inauguration to determine how the state would implement extensive rules to combat the immigration crisis. The special session would discuss how to secure funds for “detention, relocation, transportation infrastructure, local law enforcement support, and everything else needed for Florida to carry out this mission.”
“State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” DeSantis previously said. “In order to do that effectively, we are going to need legislation to impose additional duties on local officials and provide funding for those local officials. There also needs to be measures to hold people accountable for violating our anti-sanctuary policies and that Florida needs to make sure that we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”
As Blaze News reported last week, DeSantis set the tone for other Republican governors by pushing legislation that will crack down on illegal immigration. DeSantis called for a state crime for migrants illegally entering the United States, requiring proof of U.S. residency to vote, and repealing in-state college tuition for illegal immigrant students.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that DeSantis penned a four-page memo to Florida legislative leaders that called for powers for the governor to suspend or criminally charge local officials in Florida who don’t train at least 10% of their law enforcement staff to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. DeSantis also wants powers to punish any Florida politician who doesn’t impose his rigorous immigration rules that are likely coming.
Sheriffs Gregory Tony of Broward County and Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County have already proclaimed that their departments would not use officer resources for the mass deportation of illegal aliens, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Trump previously said his mass deportation endeavor would depend on local police.
“We’re going to be using local police because local police know them by name, by first name, second name, and third name. I mean they know them very well,” Trump told Time magazine in April.
When asked about local police departments potentially not participating in the deportations, Trump noted that those departments “won’t partake in the riches.”
Another proposed immigration bill would require law enforcement agencies to identify noncitizens who are charged with crimes. Failure by law enforcement to comply could result in first-degree misdemeanor charges for sworn officers and third-degree felony charges against elected officials.
DeSantis wants a state immigration enforcement officer who would coordinate with federal immigration officials and supervise Florida’s undocumented migrant relocation program.
Another proposal is for illegal aliens to be denied bail upon arrest under the assumption that they are a flight risk.
On Thursday, DeSantis assured Florida agencies that the state would provide enough funds to assist in the widespread deportation process. DeSantis hinted at the state government building new facilities to house illegal immigrants facing deportation.
Speaking of DeSantis undertaking the illegal alien crackdown, Trump stated, “Thank you, Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!”
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Trump inauguration, Inauguration, Grady judd, Ron desantis, Illegal immigration, Illegal immigrants, Illegal immigration crisis, Deportations, Mass deportations, Politics
