Some Fort Myers City Council members were in tears Monday in a vote on a memorandum of understanding between U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local police.
Florida City Council met to discuss contract To receive training and authority for city law enforcement to act as ice agents to detain and arrest illegal immigrants, among other functions.
During the meeting, council members Darla Bonk and Diana Girald Torn They expressed their opposition to the agreement.
Bonk's voice broke as she explained the risk of losing state and federal funds if she refused to agree.
“It's a turbulent day and age, and this is a day I hate being in this seat,” Bonk said. “But my town is not for sale.”
Fort Myers City Council members Darla Bonk and Diana Girald grab their hands during Monday's meeting. (Fort Myers City website)
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Giroud feared that the memorandum would be used to racially introduce Hispanic citizens.
“I can't stand behind this as the only immigrant sitting on this council,” Giroud said.
At one point they spoke, they grabbed their hands.
Mayor Meyers, Mayor Kevin Anderson, insisted in favour of the memorandum, not only “kicking the door” for illegal immigration, but also giving officers the power to grant officers the ability to arrest and dispose of illegal immigrants charged or convicted of a crime.
The allegations could not be handed over 3-3 votes with one non-present councillor.
Myersfort Mayor Kevin Anderson argued that the memorandum would not give local officials the ability to track down all illegal immigrants, but would give them the ability to oust and detain them after criminal charges or convictions. (Bloomberg via Christopher Dilt/Getty Images)
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Florida Attorney General James Usmieyer responded with a letter requesting the city council to change its position or endanger civil or criminal penalties for being a sanctuary city.
“The Sanctuary policy is illegal in Florida. Last night's vote will be a Sanctuary city. Resolve this issue or face consequences,” Uthmeier wrote to X along with a copy of his letter.
When contacted for comment, the Attorney General's office pointed to an interview on Fox News' digital. Fox 4 Uthmeier discusses the letter.
In an interview, Uthmeier said that if the memorandum fails, it could violate state laws that prohibit “sanctuary policies” that would hinder federal immigration law enforcement.
He added that penalties could include removal from the office.
“We see all the options. We will notify them, but we are not going to wait long. If they don't fix their issues immediately, we will take action,” Uthmeier told Fox 4.
However, he did not give him a clear timeline of when the memorandum would happen if it had not been handed over yet.
Florida law prohibits policies in “sanctuary cities” that hinder federal law enforcement of immigration policies. (Fox News)
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In a statement from Fox News Digital, Anderson said the city will revisit the memorandum on Friday, and plans an emergency meeting to reach a more clear conclusion, if possible.
“This is another tool for our police to keep our cities safe. That means city management has taken proactive steps to reprocess the issue. We hope that Friday's meeting will lead to a degraded solution to federal and state orders,” the mayor said.
Other members of the city council did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital in time for public release.
