During a lengthy and often emotional meeting, more than a dozen people spoke to Escambia County commissioners in opposition of a partnership the county has with ICE, or United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to train and authorize some corrections personnel to enforce immigration laws.
Although the board was being asked to ratify what is essentially an administrative modification to an already existing agreement between ICE and Escambia’s Board of County Commissioners, a string of people, many of them younger, asked the board not to ratify the addendum to the memorandum of agreement for the ICE enforcement agreement.
The MOA enables ICE to delegate certain immigration enforcement functions to designated, trained, certified, and authorized Escambia corrections personnel, like allowing ICE to delegate warrant service on suspected undocumented immigrants to authorized corrections officers.
“The objective of this collaboration is to enhance public safety by facilitating the transfer of designated individuals from Escambia County correctional facilities to ICE for removal proceedings at the time of the individuals’ scheduled release from criminal custody,” the county agenda item reads.
All but one of the speakers on the issue were opposed to it. Delani Ward spoke first saying ICE’s “detain first, ask questions later” approach has led to wrongful detainment of citizens and other legal residents.
“Increasing public safety is giving us a justification for this action,” Ward said. “I would argue that executing this proposed MOA would have the opposite effect. How can anyone feel or be safe if government employees are sanctioned to violate the Constitution? Increasing ICE activity in our area will only make residents more fearful and this fear is justified.”
The board first approved the MOA regarding ICE’s Warrant Service Officer Program in March.
ICE raids: ECSD teachers want written guidelines for dealing with ICE agents
Chief William Powell was at the meeting and told commissioners the agreement is nothing new, but the addendum “tweaks” language in the agreement and makes it more efficient for officers to serve warrants instead of waiting on ICE agents.
Many who spoke said they oppose local law enforcement supporting actions that they say tear families apart and can violate constitutional rights.
Declan McGurk, a student who lives and works in Escambia County, said this was his first time speaking publicly at a county commission meeting and he is concerned unfair immigration enforcement will undermine “how strong our community is.”
“I appreciate how much work you all do in one night, but this issue is much different beast from all the other issues that were on the agenda,” McGurk said. “I just want to take a second so that we all remember that people are dying under ICE in Florida. I’ve already seen multiple news articles from different people across the state, and what I really don’t want to see is a PNJ article about that happening in Escambia County.”
According to the county, under the MOA the Escambia County Corrections Department assumes responsibility for the salaries and benefits, including any overtime, of all personnel participating in training or executing duties under the MOA.
The county goes on to say the Escambia County Corrections Department will also cover travel, housing and per diem expenses related to the training necessary for participation in this MOA, while ICE is accountable for the salaries and benefits of its personnel, including instructors and supervisors.
Children left behind: ‘He was not in good hands’: Why migrant teen ended up alone in Pensacola, then ICE custody
“This addendum is terrible for our community for many reasons,” said Charlie Dyell. “Moral arguments aside, and everyone’s political beliefs about immigration aside, our tax dollars should not be paying our local law enforcement to do ICE’s job for them.”
Roy Skinner, a 30-year Escambia County resident who says he retired from his position as a sergeant with the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution, asked the board not to approve it, because he’s opposed to Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies as well as corrections officers taking part in what he says are President Donald Trump’s “disgusting cultural wars.”
“I’m against the ECSO assisting ICE in any way because ICE has been detaining Black and brown people using heavily armed, masked and badge-less officers that simply behave like thugs,” Skinner said. “They are detaining citizens and green cards holders without due process. They plan to house these people in concentration camps, three of them in Florida.”
Mother of two toddlers, Karyn Elyzabeth, is concerned that the enforcement will be unchecked and result in unlawful arrests and detentions.
“This is not fake news or fear mongering as some like to say,” Elyzabeth said. “These are our neighbors, our teachers, our chefs, our business owners, our loved ones, our spouses, our children, our grandparents, my children’s grandparents. They are part of the backbone of our community, and they deserve to live without constant fear of being snatched, kidnapped and human trafficked.”
One man told commissioners he didn’t see where they had any choice but to support the effort because it was supported by the president and he could apply pressure if they didn’t, but he believed many of the immigrants being targeted are in the United States because they want a better life.
When it came to vote on the addendum to the MOA, Escambia Commissioner Lumon May said he would not support it and read a passage that he said described his position on the immigration enforcement.
“They came for the socialist. I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. They came for the trade union. I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. They came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak up for me,” May said. “So, for me, I’m going to speak up for those people that don’t have the ability to speak up for themselves.”
Commissioner Steve Stroberger spoke in support of the agenda item saying he disagreed with speakers who said they “didn’t care how people got into the country” and he did not want undocumented immigrants who are charged with crimes to be here.
“I care who comes in my house and I care who comes in our country,” Stroberger said. “I don’t quite understand why we’re in support, more in support of criminal illegals, because we’re talking about, I’m talking about criminal illegals.”
May and others said not everyone being targeted for immigration enforcement was a criminal or if they were, the crimes weren’t “serious.”
Escambia Board Chair Mike Kohler asked Powell if the immigrants officers were assisting ICE with had the opportunity to go through the judicial process.
Powell said at the time of the meeting there were almost two dozen ICE detainees in the jail and at a “minimum” they were “probably” charged with state or municipal crimes, but he did not have that information immediately on hand. However, each one goes before a judge on their charges, he said.
“The ratification of this addendum is part of the due process,” Powell assured Kohler, who said it was important to him the detainees have due process.
Stroberger made a motion to approve the addendum to the MOA which was seconded by Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger. The motion passed 3 – 2 with commissioners May and Steven Barry voting against it.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County ICE partnership gets pushback from county residents