Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina publicly opposed an anti-sanctuary state bill during a Friday radio interview. (Twitter/@mpdespanol)
Miami’s police chief pushed back Friday against an anti-sanctuary state bill that would require Florida law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
“The truth is I’d prefer not to have this job if I have to ask fellow officers to go check where someone came from before helping them,” Miami police Chief Jorge Colina said during a Spanish-language interview with radio station WURN-AM.
"I’d prefer not to have this job if I have to ask fellow officers to go check where someone came from."
The bill, SB 168, would prohibit “sanctuary” policies and require state and law enforcement to comply with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel by requiring authorities to honor requests to detain those considered “removable aliens” under federal immigration law.
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Currently, an ICE detainer request is not deemed a requirement for local authorities.
“I don’t care if you have papers or don’t have papers, where you came from, or who your parents are,” Colina said. “That’s not my job. My job is to make sure everyone in this city is safe.”
“I don’t care if you have papers or don’t have papers, where you came from, or who your parents are. That’s not my job. My job is to make sure everyone in this city is safe.”
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The bill has drawn protests from immigration-rights groups and would give whistleblower status to officers who report citizenship violations by undocumented immigrants, the Miami Herald reported.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, said the federal government “doesn’t take into effect whether you’ve committed a felony or a misdemeanor. My advice is if you’re not breaking the law, this bill will not impact you whatever” during a contentious vote to advance the legislation earlier this month.
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Florida state Sen. Annette Taddo, a Democrat, told the Herald on Friday the bill is about gaining “political points."
“This bill is about reelecting Donald Trump,” she said. “That’s all this bill is.“
“This bill is about reelecting Donald Trump. That’s all this bill is.“
Sanctuary policies have come under fire in recent years as critics cite them as a public safety risk. An illegal immigrant from El Salvador charged in the stabbing death of Bambi Larson in California was the subject of several unanswered detainer requests before he was freed.
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