Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Friday an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that will grant state law enforcement expanded authority to carry out immigration enforcement.
Under the deal, Florida will be one of the first states in the nation to empower state law enforcement officers with these duties. DeSantis stated that he has directed the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, along with the Florida Highway Patrol, to implement the agreement. As part of the deal, state troopers will receive training and approval from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out immigration enforcement tasks.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced Friday that the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) will gain expanded authority to interrogate individuals suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. The new powers will allow state officers to question suspected migrants about their legal status and take action to expedite the deportation process.
DeSantis explained that state officers would also be empowered to arrest and detain migrants, assisting in speeding up their removal from the country. He emphasized that this expansion of state law enforcement’s role in immigration enforcement is crucial for supporting federal efforts, noting that “states like Florida must actively work to facilitate federal operations, particularly with respect to interior enforcement.”
Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted Florida’s role in advancing federal immigration goals, referencing President Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory, which was partly driven by promises to implement a large-scale deportation program. DeSantis emphasized that the new agreement would help achieve those objectives by expanding state law enforcement’s involvement in immigration enforcement.
The agreement falls under ICE’s 287G program, which allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delegate specific immigration enforcement responsibilities to state and local officers under ICE’s oversight and direction.
