Southernmost US City Terminates ICE Agreement, GOP Leadership Fires Back
The Key West City Commission voted 5-1 to terminate its cooperation agreement with Immigration and customs Enforcement (ICE), which had allowed local authorities to enforce federal immigration laws under the 287(g) program. This agreement, initiated by Police Chief Sean Brandenburg, permitted local police to question, arrest, and detain individuals suspected of immigration violations.the decision drew criticism from Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, who warned that the city’s actions could classify it as a “sanctuary city,” violating state law. Uthmeier emphasized that past collaborations led to the arrests of multiple illegal immigrants with serious criminal backgrounds, asserting that the decision could lead to civil and criminal penalties for Key West officials, including potential removal from office by the governor. Governor Ron DeSantis supported the attorney general’s stance, emphasizing local governments’ obligation to adhere to state law and warning of consequences for noncompliance.
The Key West, Florida’s commissioners voted Tuesday to end the city’s cooperation agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, prompting a stern warning from the state’s attorney general.
The vote was 5-1, voiding an agreement that the nation’s southernmost city’s police chief, Sean Brandenburg, entered into with ICE in March, the Miami Herald reported.
The agreement was part of a federal program known as 287(g), named after a section in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
It “allows local authorities to perform certain federal immigration enforcement functions, including allowing officers to question, arrest and detain people suspected of violating immigration law,” according to Fox News.
BREAKING: The city commission for Key West, Florida, has voted 6-1 to VOID its immigration enforcement agreement with ICE.
The city will no longer abide by the 287(g) program, which trains local law officers to interrogate and detain illegal aliens for potential deportation. pic.twitter.com/M41zn4t4dI
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 2, 2025
The City Commission said the agreement was unenforceable because it was entered into by Brandenburg and not the city manager.
“I try not to make decisions with my heart because it can get me into trouble,” said Commissioner Donald Lee, the city’s former police chief, before voting to end the agreement, according to the Herald.
“Tonight, I am going to make a decision from my heart, and I hope it doesn’t get the city in trouble,” he added.
Florida GOP Attorney General James Uthmeier promised in a letter to the City Commission on Wednesday that the decision will get Key West officials in trouble, unless they reverse course.
He explained their vote violates state law by making Key West a “sanctuary city.”
Uthmeier noted in March that ICE, with the help of Key West police, arrested 10 illegal aliens, all of whom were convicted sex offenders. Others detained that month included one who had committed murder, trafficked drugs, and engaged in animal abuse.
“We think those facts are far more compelling than the nonsensical sloganeering of misinformed protesters,” the attorney general contended.
The City of Key West violated state law when they voted to void the Key West Police Department’s 287(g) agreement with ICE.
We will not allow this unlawful sanctuary policy in Florida. They have a choice: stop impeding law enforcement from enforcing immigration law or face the… pic.twitter.com/tATKp4CNCp
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 2, 2025
“Florida law unequivocally forbids sanctuary cities,” Uthmeier concluded. “Failure to take corrective action will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including removal from office by the governor.”
DeSantis told reporters on Tuesday, while opening ICE’s “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility, that Key West officials could face suspension.
“I think the attorney general has weighed in on that, and I’ll let him do the analysis and sent them whatever warnings need to be sent. But, the reality is, you have a responsibility for full participation,” the governor said. “And, you can virtue signal and try to make political statements, but the reality is, local governments have to abide by Florida law.”
DeSantis has previously suspended local prosecutors in Florida for failing to uphold the law.
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