From ChatGPT
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is facing strong backlash from immigrant rights advocates after signing an updated agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last Friday — a move he admits was made under “protest and extreme duress” in response to threats from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration.
The addendum to the 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement allows Orange County jail officials to transport immigration detainees to ICE detention centers. Demings said he felt forced to act after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that the mayor and all six county commissioners could be removed from office for refusing to comply.
Related: Unpacking Florida’s immigration trends − demographers take a closer look at the legal and undocumented population.
“Yes, we signed the damn thing because we really had to,” Demings said at a press conference. “I can’t let our entire board of county commissioners and myself be removed from office.”
But the decision has sparked fierce condemnation from local organizations, including the Apopka-based HOPE CommUnity Center, which has long advocated for immigrant families across Central Florida. In a statement released Monday, Executive Director Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet called Demings’ decision “appalling” and accused the mayor of enabling what he described as “human rights atrocities” committed at ICE detention centers.
“Mayor Demings becomes complicit with the human rights atrocities being committed at these centers, including the already infamous Alligator Alcatraz,” Sousa-Lazaballet said. “This is not about politics but about human lives.”
The HOPE CommUnity Center, speaking on behalf of the Immigrants Are Welcome Here coalition, argued that the agreement will strain already limited resources within the Orange County Corrections Department — which currently has a 24% vacancy rate — and sow fear within immigrant communities. “Adding immigration enforcement responsibilities is not only unnecessary, it’s irresponsible,” Sousa-Lazaballet added.
Demings acknowledged the staffing crisis, stating, “There are 212 vacancies within the Orange County corrections department right now.” He said he still needs to assess whether the department has the resources to safely comply with the ICE agreement.
Though DeSantis offered the possibility of state grants to help cover the cost of detainee transport, Sousa-Lazaballet argued that local governments are under no legal obligation to participate. “There’s no state or federal law requiring the county to fulfill the role imposed by DeSantis,” the statement reads, pointing to the Florida Legislature’s previous rejection of a bill that would have mandated such cooperation.
The HOPE CommUnity Center warns that agreements like the 287(g) addendum erode trust in local institutions, making immigrants less likely to report crimes, seek healthcare, or access public services.
“Hope CommUnity Center stands firmly against any collaboration between local governments and ICE,” Sousa-Lazaballet said. “We will not be silent. We will not comply. We will resist.”
The Orange County Commission is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider approving the ICE agreement. Community advocates plan to closely monitor the proceedings and continue mobilizing in opposition.
