The City of Key West has canceled its agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reversing a policy that allowed local police to assist federal agents in detaining suspected undocumented immigrants.
The move came Monday night during a special city commission meeting, where six of the seven commissioners voted to end the partnership following a wave of public outcry. Community members — including business owners, church leaders, and residents — flooded the meeting to voice their concerns.
Police Chief Sean Brandenburg, the final speaker of the night, defended the policy, stating that the agreement is now the law under the Trump administration. Commissioners, however, disagreed, describing the arrangement as federal overreach.
“We should not have fear for political retribution as the basis for us as a city determining policy,” said Key West Commissioner Samuel Kaufman.
Commissioner Lissette Carey was the sole vote against terminating the agreement.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier quickly responded via social media, warning that the city will soon be hearing from his office.
This isn’t the first time Uthmeier has weighed in on local immigration enforcement. Just last month, he sent a two-page letter to Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony, demanding full cooperation with ICE. The letter was prompted by Tony’s remarks at a June 3 budget workshop, where he appeared to distance himself from federal immigration duties.
“The patch on our sleeve says Broward County. We are not ICE, we are not immigration. I don’t work for the Department of Justice. I don’t work for the president of the United States. I work for the people of this community,” Tony said at the time.
Back in February, Governor Ron DeSantis had announced that all 67 of Florida’s sheriffs had signed a “Task Force Model” agreement with ICE, expanding the role of deputies under the controversial 287(g) program — a policy that has increasingly come under scrutiny from civil rights advocates.
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