- Tallahassee Police Department and Leon County Sheriff's Office will each train one officer for ICE duties once funding is provided.
- Most local agencies in Florida have entered similar agreements with ICE through the Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act.
- Watch now to hear how this news divides opinion among neighbors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The federal and state crackdown on immigration has already resulted in raids carried out in The Big Bend through state law enforcement agencies like the Florida Highway Patrol.
Our local agencies will soon be capable of the same — but they're having to take a slower approach.
"Whatever that looks like for any individual agency, that remains to be seen."
I'm Alberto Camargo in the Midtown neighborhood.
Learning to what extent our local agencies are participating and why they're being more cautious.
The memorandum of agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement says all local law enforcement agencies are able to train officers to carry out ICE duties.
It's not a new program, but it has been reactivated by President Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell says TPD will be assigning just one officer to these duties for the time being to carry out felony warrants that already exist.
"Initially I believe we will simply just look to those and those that may be here illegally that have those violent forceable felony warrants, and look to arrest those and get those off the streets."
The involvement of local law enforcement splits opinion among neighbors.
"I like how local law enforcement is getting involved and helping out in these raids, and you know, protecting the law and protecting us as citizens."
"I worry about carrying out identity politics and using our law enforcement. I think it's going to be a strain on our local police force and our local law enforcement."
Like TPD, the Leon County Sheriff's Office says just one officer will be trained for now.
An LCSO spokesperson says it will be a detention deputy — not a patrolling deputy.
Both agencies say training has yet to start because they're waiting on the training to be created and paid for by ICE.
Chief Revell says the duties of ICE-trained officers will likely be very similar to procedures TPD was already taking in identifying suspected illegal immigrants.
In Midtown, I'm Alberto Camargo.
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