Gov. Ron DeSantis has demanded that the Biden Administration rescind its recent executive action allowing “criminal aliens to go free.”
The governor has called on the federal government to return to the rule of law and ensure the transfer of criminal aliens to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities upon completion of their state prison terms. The governor insisted that ICE continue to detain these criminals, and if found to be in this country illegally, remove them.
“Florida will not sit by and watch idly as the federal government sets criminal aliens free and abdicates its legal obligation to enforce immigration law,” said DeSantis. “That’s why I’m calling on President Biden and ICE to take immediate action to detain and remove these dangerous criminal aliens. Too many lives have been lost because immigration officials failed to do their jobs and too many parents have lost children at the hands of criminal aliens who were irresponsibly set free.”
Over the next month, the Florida Department of Corrections estimates that 50 confirmed or suspected criminal aliens will complete their state prison terms. Over the next six months, FDC estimates that number will rise to approximately 200 individuals.
The governor sent a letter to FDC Secretary Mark Inch directing him to:
- Identify all Florida inmates with detainer agreements and pursue all legal means available to transfer them to ICE custody upon completion of their Florida prison terms.
- Provide monthly updates to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Office of the Governor on all inmates who have detainers lifted by ICE during the 90 days prior to release date.
- Provide monthly updates to FDLE and the Office of the Governor on all undocumented inmates released at the direction of ICE.
- Notify local law enforcement whenever undocumented individuals may be released in their communities.
- Work with FDLE to cross-check, on a weekly basis, any released criminal aliens against Florida law enforcement’s statewide reports of new crimes.
- Work with Florida Sheriffs to facilitate use of the national Law Enforcement Notification System (LENS), which provides local law enforcement with information on criminal aliens released from ICE custody in Florida.
- Submit formal requests to ICE under 8 U.S.C. 1373(c) to confirm the citizenship status of all inmates where citizenship status is inconclusive.
