Incoming President Donald Trump’s pledge to direct mass deportations raises the question of how law-enforcement agencies might help carry out his plan.
Though the federal government is responsible for enforcing immigration laws, some law-enforcement leaders across the country have signaled their eagerness to assist in rounding up undocumented immigrants to be deported.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is an outspoken supporter of Trump, and he regularly warns about what he considers the threats presented by “illegal aliens” and what he calls an open southern border. But Judd said that the Polk County Sheriff’s Office will not change its policies on enforcing immigration laws.
After stating that he thinks immigration was the second most significant issue in the 2024 presidential election, behind inflation, Judd said he does not foresee any shift in his agency’s approach toward those living in Polk County without authorization.
The Sheriff’s Office has long cooperated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on holding suspects under a section of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act. That law authorizes local law enforcement to perform specified immigration officer functions.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, during a news conference Jan. 15 with Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Sheriff’s Office in Winter Haven, holds up a sign reading “Southbound and Down.” He urged undocumented immigrants who have or might face criminal charges to “self-deport” ahead of a change in policy after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration and Florida special legislative session this month.
“Our procedure will be the same that it’s always been,” Judd said. “When we arrest somebody and take them into custody, we turn that data over, and we do it once every 24 hours, to ICE — Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.”
If ICE responds with a request to detain a suspect, PCSO holds the person for as long as the law permits, Judd said — 48 hours after the agency finishes processing the suspect.
“The difference is when Trump was in before, they came and got more,” Judd said. “When Biden was in office, the numbers dwindled immensely — because, quite frankly, in my estimation, the Biden administration thought more of the illegal criminal aliens than he thought of the law-abiding citizens of this country. So I’ve been more than frustrated with that the entire time Biden was in office.”
Judd, though, drew a distinction between his agency’s holding suspects after arrest for ICE agents and their becoming an proactive element of immigration enforcement.
“And so, unless, unless the president comes down with other edicts that I’m not aware of, contrary to what I call the conspiracy theorists and the troublemakers, we absolutely, unequivocally are not going to go through the community knocking on doors of people that aren’t here legally,” Judd said. “That is a federal issue. But if you’re here illegally and committing crimes, we’re going to hold you accountable for that, put you in jail and notify ICE, and what they do is up to them.”
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The Ledger spoke to Judd before his department hosted a news conference Wednesday morning for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor has called for a special session of the Florida Legislature, asking lawmakers to adopt a series of measures, including creation of a state law setting penalties for entering the country without authorization.
PCSO spokesperson Scott Wilder said Thursday that Judd expects to continue the department’s approach of focusing on cooperation with ICE after arrests.
“There are no changes from what (Judd previously said) — we don’t anticipate any changes to our policy, unless changes need to be made based on new state or federal law,” Wilder said by email. “He said we will continue to report all foreign born arrestees that come to us in the county jail to ICE. Our anticipation is that new federal policies will likely change to accept custody of all those arrestees, which the Sheriff would enthusiastically support.”
A spokeswoman for the Lakeland Police Department said that Chief Sam Taylor had no comment on immigration enforcement.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County sheriff: Deputies won’t round up undocumented residents
