“You directly violated Florida Law,” State Attorney General James Uthmeier warned Key West commissioners Tuesday, after they voted to void their police department’s cooperative agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“They have a choice: stop impeding law enforcement from enforcing immigration law or face the consequences,” AG Uthmeir declared in a July 2 social media post, embedding a letter he sent to the commissioners.
The attorney general’s letter cites chapter and verse of the commissioners’ violation:
“On June 30, 2025, the Key West City Commission voted to void the City of Key West Police Department’s 287(g) agreement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforce (“ICE”). In doing so, you directly violated Florida Law.
“Section 908.103, Florida Statutes, prohibits law enforcement and local government entities from adopting or having in effect any sanctuary policy.”
“By declaring the Department’s existing 287(g) agreement void, Key West has made itself a sanctuary city,” Uthmeir explains:
“Prohibiting its police officers from receiving the necessary federal training to adequately enforce U.S. immigration laws not only prevents city police from enforcing current federal immigration law but also effectively prevents the city police department from participating in federal immigration operations.”
“In this instance, however, it’s even worse,” because the Commission didn’t just prevent police from cooperating with ICE, “it affirmatively voided an existing 287(g) agreement under which the Police Department was actively operating. Bad policy, and illegal,” the AG writes.
Uthmeir says the commission’s action is not only illegal, but also “bad policy,” noting how ICE agents have apprehended illegal aliens in Key West who had previously been convicted of violent crimes, including sexual abuse and homicide.
“The City Commission must immediately reverse its June 30, 2025 action and allow the Police Department to resume its cooperative engagement with ICE under its 287(g) agreement,” the attorney general writes, warning the commissioners of the consequences they will face if they refuse to comply:
“Failure to take corrective action will result in the enforcement of all applicable and criminal and civil penalties, including removal from office by the Governor pursuant to section 908.107, Florida Statutes, and the Florida Constitution.”