Florida attorney general threatens Tampa mayor with removal over immigration-related policies: ‘You must do better’

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote a letter to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor on Wednesday, threatening to remove her from office if she continues to enforce “sanctuary policies” on the Tampa Police Department (TPD).

The attorney general specifically noted that the police department prohibits officers from sharing information with immigration authorities regarding victims or witnesses of a crime, including investigating whether they have legal citizenship status. Officers are reportedly prohibited from engaging in “broad-based” immigration enforcement actions.

Uthmeier claimed this effectively establishes a sanctuary policy, which is against state law.

“TPD ostensibly supports these policies because they do not want illegal aliens to be concerned with immigration consequences by cooperating with law enforcement,” Uthmeier wrote in the letter. “But we want illegal aliens to fear immigration consequences to the extent they are here unlawfully.”

The attorney general said these restrictions jeopardize the safety of Tampa residents, and a compliant 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) helps minimize the risks.

“This ambiguous restriction on immigration enforcement activities is precisely the sort of conduct that Florida law prohibits and plainly fails the ‘best efforts’ test. You must do better,” the attorney general wrote. “Given the danger illegals pose to Florida, the Mayor of Tampa and TPD should prioritize Americans’ safety over the comfort of illegal criminal aliens who have no right to be here in the first place.”

The letter says Castor’s office must direct the immediate reversal of the alleged sanctuary policies no later than March 31. The attorney general threatened Mayor Castor with removal from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis if she does not comply.

On Wednesday, Castor released a statement, which read, in part, “In light of the Attorney General’s letter today, the City of Tampa will review the concerns raised and evaluate our policies and procedures to ensure that we use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.”

The mayor also said TPD signed the 287(g) and developed its immigration enforcement policy to ensure all immigration-related actions are carried out according to state and federal law.