Protesters left a Tallahassee City Commission meeting disappointed after commissioners decided 3–2 not to rescind what’s known as a 287(g) immigration enforcement agreement between the city of Tallahassee and the federal government.
The vote came during a nearly 8-hour marathon meeting on Oct. 22 that ended at 11 p.m. after a parade of speakers opined on hot topics like the proposed sales of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to Florida State and the Capital City Country Club to its board.
But none drew a crowd like the controversial law enforcement compact that brings local police and deputies into President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration that has Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ full approval. According to the feds, the agreements allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “to partner with state and local law enforcement to identify and remove criminal aliens….”
Emotions have been running high over the partnership since a local ICE raid back in May that saw almost 100 undocumented people detained. It was one of Florida’s largest immigration raids, held at a student housing development construction site in Tallahassee’s CollegeTown area.
Mayor John E. Dailey, along with City Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Dianne Williams-Cox, have said they’re going along with the agreement so as not to risk the ire of the DeSantis administration. And Dailey specifically has said he’s accepting of all communities, including undocumented immigrants.
Still, the move would have risked putting the city commission on a collision course with the governor and Attorney General James Uthmeier, who have previously threatened to oust officials in other municipalities that defied such agreements.
40 speakers keep commission holed up in chambers
Before the vote, activists weren’t holding back. When the treasurer-clerk said 40 speakers had signed up to speak on the topic, Richardson gasped: “Forty speakers?”
Some berated the commission, others pleaded for them to reconsider. Speakers ranged from Tallahassee Community Action Committee activists to local clergymen and members of the city’s Latino community.
Previous opposition noted that the agreement was OK’d by appointed city officials – City Manager Reese Goad and Police Chief Lawrence Revell – and not by the elected commission.
David Williamson, who represents the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and recently moved to the city, referred to “loving thy neighbor.”
“I think we have a moral obligation to disobey immoral laws and you would not be the first political leaders to do that or be faced with that decision,” Williamson told the commission. “Jesus teaches me to love my neighbor and I realize that one of the ways I can love my neighbor – or not – is by paying attention to policy … that does harm to (my) neighbor.”
One woman went over her allotted time, spurring Dailey to ask her “to work with me. Let’s give everybody an opportunity to speak.” Another woman likened the word “illegals,” used by some to refer to undocumented immigrants, to a specific racial slur. That drew a strong reaction from Richardson and Williams-Cox, who are Black.
Commissioner Jeremy Matlow finally moved for the board to rescind the agreement, drawing applause from the crowd. That motion failed, drawing several “boos.”
“I love Tallahassee but I’m truly ashamed of our city right now and our complicity in our president and governor’s unconstitutional, immoral and dangerous agendas,” Commissioner Jack Porter said.
She added: “One thing that I just want to make really, really, really clear is that we did not have to be in this position. We did not have to enter into this agreement in the first place. There are hundreds of cities in Florida that did not enter into these agreements, have not entered into these agreements, and were not threatened with removal.”
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: In slim vote, Tallahassee keeps 287(g) pact after long debate