FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — More than two dozen immigrant-rights advocates gathered Tuesday outside the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, where sheriffs from across the U.S. were attending their annual national conference.

“What do we do when immigrants’ rights are under attack? We fight back!” the protesters chanted.

The immigrant advocates assembled at the northwest corner of Southeast 17th Street and Eisenhower Boulevard, holding banners and signs denouncing the controversial 287(g) agreement, a partnership between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allows local police officers to perform certain immigration enforcement duties. The program has been described by ICE as a “force multiplier.”

Among the protesters outside the National Sheriffs’ Association Conference was Rick White, 64, a retired deputy sheriff from Illinois now living in Boynton Beach. Wearing a shirt that read “I am an immigrant,” White held a sign that said “No Kings in America.” He said he came to stand with immigrant communities in Florida and back in his home state.

White criticized the Trump administration’s push to involve local police in federal immigration enforcement, saying it erodes trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities. “I’m here to give back and to stand against the separation of families and the unjust targeting of immigrants who are simply trying to live in this country,” he told the Miami Herald.

As the Trump administration accelerates efforts to increase deportations, more than 100 law enforcement agencies in Florida — including all 67 county sheriff’s offices — have joined the 287(g) program. Local police departments are not explicitly required to participate. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier argue that under the state’s sanctuary law such cooperation is effectively mandatory.

Critics say the program encourages racial profiling and undermines community trust.

‘They see each other as enemies’

Javier Del Castillo, 60, an immigrant advocate who is originally from Colombia, held a sign reading “Say No to ICE.” He said he is concerned that the policies are driving immigrants out of the state.

“We’re already seeing a shortage of workers in construction, health care and other industries,” he said. “After these sheriffs signed agreements with ICE, immigrants in Florida became too afraid to report crimes.”

“When you sign one of these agreements, they divide the community and the police,” he added. “They see each other as enemies.”

Juan Cuba, executive director of Sheriff Accountability Action, called on sheriffs across the country — particularly in Florida — to reject partnerships with ICE and focus instead on the responsibilities they were elected to uphold: keeping their communities safe.

Cuba said ICE has daily arrest quotas, and its operations in schools, workplaces, farms, and construction sites are instilling widespread fear. “Many sheriffs nationwide have refused to do ICE’s job,” he said. “Unfortunately, not in Florida, due to political pressure from the governor, who has threatened local officials with removal.”

Dissenting sheriff

Sheriff Alyshia Dyer of Washtenaw County, Michigan, who was attending the conference, briefly joined the protest to voice her opposition to the 287(g) program.

“It’s not our job,” Dyer said. “Local law enforcement should be focused on public safety, not enforcing federal immigration law.”

She warned that turning police into immigration agents undermines community trust.

“When people, immigrants and citizens alike are afraid to call 911 because it might result in detention or separation from their families, they stop reporting crimes,” she said. “Survivors go silent, witnesses disappear. People don’t show up to court, and that puts everyone at risk.”

Calling 287(g) “bad policy and bad policing,” Dyer said the measure opens the door to racial profiling. “This national obsession with targeting immigrants is about politics — not safety,” she said. “I took an oath to serve and protect everyone in my community, not just those with the right papers.”

Dyer noted she’s not alone in her concerns. “Many sheriffs and police across the country share this frustration. Law enforcement groups are working to stop 287(g) and combat racial profiling and discrimination against Black and Brown communities.”

Dyer also received a letter on behalf of the protest organizers from Faithful America, a network of more than 200,000 progressive Christians. The letter, signed by over 12,000 faith leaders and believers nationwide, urges sheriffs to reject 287(g) agreements. Supporters plan to deliver copies directly to sheriffs in their local communities.

“We call on you to take the righteous path, to withstand this political pressure, and hold true to your mission as a servant of public safety,” the letter reads. “When sheriffs take on the work of the federal immigration system, they sow fear, not safety. They tear families apart, rather than build trust.”

Dyer, who said Michigan state leaders have not pressured sheriffs to enforce immigration law, criticized what she called federal overreach.

“It’s really problematic that the national level is trying to force sheriffs to do things outside their core duties, especially when resources are already stretched thin. We all took an oath to defend the Constitution, and some of the things that have come down from the Trump administration are not in alignment with that.”

Another letter came from Escucha Mi Voz, an immigrant rights group in Iowa that successfully organized its community in Dubuque to pressure their sheriff to reject a 287(g) agreement. Advocates say it’s an example of grassroots power in action — and they hope to replicate it in Florida and beyond.

Critics of 287(g) describe it as an unfunded mandate that diverts local resources, undermines public safety, and exposes sheriff’s departments to potential civil rights lawsuits. They argue the agreements effectively turn local officers into federal immigration agents, leading to increased racial profiling, prolonged traffic stops and the erosion of trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.

Dyer expressed empathy for sheriffs in other states, like Florida, facing pressure to enforce immigration policies.

“I just think it’s not good government and not good democracy.”

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