TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed his opposition to a proposal by the Florida Immigration Council aimed at reducing mass deportation efforts.
The council, made up of different law enforcement leaders, recently asked the federal government to change immigration enforcement priorities.
The proposal was detailed in a letter from several sheriffs and police chiefs on the state’s Immigration Council. It asks federal authorities to reduce mass deportations and instead prioritize creating a pathway to citizenship for immigrants without criminal records.
Members of the Florida Immigration Council wrote to the federal government, urging it to focus enforcement on individuals with criminal records and to establish a process for residents without criminal histories to attain legal status.
They particularly called for a pathway to citizenship for those who have not committed any crimes.
Gov. DeSantis publicly dismissed the council’s recommendations, asserting that noncitizens without legal status violate current laws irrespective of their criminal records.
“This idea that unless you’re an axe murderer you should be able to stay, that is not consistent with our laws and it’s also not good policy,” DeSantis said. He emphasized that the proposal does not align with current state or federal legal standards.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd previously suggested that immigrants lacking permanent legal status who do not have criminal records should be allowed to remain in the country.
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