TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Tallahassee city commissioners declined to end the Tallahassee Police Department’s 287(G) agreement with ICE in a tight late-night vote.
The final vote was 3-2, with Mayor John Dailey, Commissioner Williams-Cox and Commissioner Curtis Richardson voting against.
Commissioner Jack Porter and Commissioner Jeremy Matlow voted in favor of ending the agreement.
Over 40 people spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, with many impassioned speakers asking the city to end the agreement.
“I’m ashamed of our city,” Commissioner Porter said.
The majority did not provide a reason for their votes to keep the agreement in place.
More Tallahassee news:
Things turned heated as Wednesday night’s meeting entered its eighth hour. At one point, Mayor Dailey called for a recess after multiple personal attacks from public speakers.
“We’re going to attack you from all sides!” a speaker said. “You’ll lose your office and the people will be in power! Your time is coming to an end!”
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell signed an agreement with ICE without a vote by the city commission. He previously told WCTV that’s in his purview as the appointed chief of police.
He also made it clear that he believed he could be removed by the governor for failing to sign. TPD’s agreement is fairly narrow, and currently, only one officer, a detective, is cross-deputized to conduct immigration enforcement.
Revell said TPD does not plan to do door-to-door sweeps, and the department did not choose a beat cop to go through the training.
Some city commissioners had previously floated the idea of ending the agreement, or at least reviewing it, pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed in state court by the City of South Miami.
The city attorney provided the commission with analysis that said they could end the agreement, but they would likely face a warning letter from the attorney general because it’s illegal for a Florida city to be a “sanctuary city.”
At the same time, the city attorney said the City of Tallahassee could challenge any warning letter in court.
The suit in South Miami was dismissed because that city had not yet received such a letter. There, South Miami did not rescind an agreement but rather declined to sign one in the first place.
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