Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a warning to the Fort Myers City Council after it rejected an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a move he argued was tantamount to becoming a “sanctuary city.”
“Sanctuary policies are illegal in Florida,” he said on X, sharing his letter to the city council. “Your vote last night makes you a sanctuary city. Fix this problem or face the consequences.”
Today, I sent a letter to the Fort Myers City Council.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) March 18, 2025
Sanctuary policies are illegal in Florida. Your vote last night makes you a sanctuary city.
Fix this problem or face the consequences. pic.twitter.com/qBZgY8e90G
The Fort Myers City Council is dealing with a deadlock on immigration policies, resulting in a heated debate that has reached beyond local borders.
The council’s three-to-three tie at their recent meeting halted a motion to establish an agreement between the Fort Myers Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Mayor Kevin Anderson expressed disappointment in the outcome, emphasizing the importance of public safety.
“We also have jeopardized hundreds of millions of dollars worth of grant money,” said Anderson. “And this is grant money that we depend upon, and if we’re willing to sacrifice this grant money for people who don’t have the legal right to be here, the burden of replacing that grant money, if we want these programs to continue or these projects to continue, is going to fall on our taxpayers.” (WINK News)
Video of the Fort Myers City Council meeting where they did not approve their officers to have an agreement with ICE is even more insane because the members who voted against it started crying, holding hands:
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) March 18, 2025
"I can't stand behind this as an immigrant, the only immigrant sitting… pic.twitter.com/BDagr7suVW
“By failing to approve the Department’s 287(g) agreement, Fort Myers is implicitly implementing a sanctuary policy,” the letter from Uthmeier reads. “Prohibiting city police officers from receiving the necessary federal training to adequately enforce U.S. immigration laws not only prevents city police from enforcing current federal immigration law but effectively prevents the city police department from participating in federal immigration operations.”
Uthmeier laid out the potential consequences.
"Failure to correct the council's actions will result in enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, [including] being held in contempt, declaratory or injunctive relief, and removal from office office by the governor," he warned.
