Fort Myers, Florida. – It was a packed room after she was one of the most recent votes that prevented the city from moving forward with the 287(g) program at the Chapter 6 meeting of Part 6 on Wednesday, and gave her greater cooperation with US immigration and customs enforcement.
The 3-3 votes at Monday's city council meeting attracted the attention of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Attorney General James Usmier. Bonk told the room during her ward meeting that she had many questions about the contract she couldn't answer during the discussion and that she couldn't agree with anything with the rest of her questions.
“What someone else does after my decision is not my business.”
“Memorandum of understanding, as I understood on Monday night… [Fort Myers police] I'll be working for ICE, not a partner and ice. For me, that was a difference. I wanted more answers so I asked for an explanation,” she said.
Bonk explained that there are still 10 questions about the 287(g) program, including “If this is not voluntary, why was it brought before the council voted?” And, “Why should we, as local taxpayers, create a bill for ice work?”
She also said she doesn't know how to protect an officer from being personally sued if someone alleges that he violated his fourth amendment right.
Bonk added that her vote does not mean she is against the ice or that she hopes Fort Myers will become a sanctuary city.
When asked by Blaze Media why they didn't answer questions about the 287(g) program before Monday's vote, Bonk said while asking questions about other items in advance about this particular issue, “It assumes I'll sit there and go behind a closed door and ask that members of the community who came out don't see the answers.”
uthmeier I wrote it A letter to members of the Fort Myers City Council could result in serious penalties, such as their vote being “a serious and direct violation of Florida law” and being removed from their position, and his office will be investigated. The investigation is the first of its kind since the state's new anti-false immigration law was passed.
“Thanks to recent laws in Florida, local entities must participate in federal immigration enforcement. The 287(g) program trains local law enforcement agencies to support the ice. Florida ensures that they follow the law.
Regarding the investigation into votes by Uthmeier's office, Bonk said it was his privilege.
“It's the governor's scope. They have the right to do what they have to do. We voted on Monday based on what we thought we had a right to do. What someone else does after my decision is not my business.
Her votes sparked a fierce backlash online, but almost everyone who appeared at the ward meeting expressed her support for Bonk and how she voted. Residents, including a small number in nearby counties, were concerned that police officers at Fort Myers, who work closely with the ice, would lead to Latino racial profiling.
One parent expressed concern that the school resource officer of her child's school may perform ice duties at school through the 287(g) program.
The city council will hold a special meeting on Friday to discuss and vote on the ice agreement again. Bonk did not indicate whether she would change her vote.
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