State officials clarified at a recent court hearing that local Florida municipalities are not required to enter into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under state law.
Many local governments, including the city of Miami, had already entered into agreements with ICE, known as 287(g) agreements, because they thought the state would punish them if they didn't. Including the City of Miami.
"So, the reason that we entered the 287(g) agreement, as I explained to folks, our interpretation basically determined that state law mandated us to have a level of cooperation," said Miami Police Department Chief Manny Morales.
READ MORE: Immigrant advocates condemn ICE partnership with local police to enforce immigration laws
He said his office will still collaborate with ICE and the department has already selected three officers to do immigration enforcement and submitted their names.
"I would always collaborate with a federal agency that requests our assistance," Morales said. "I do not have an issue having the members of the Miami Police Department going after criminals regardless of their immigration status."
He also said that despite the climate around immigration enforcement, Miami Police have still made inroads in the community and homicides in the city are down to historic lows.
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