When Attorney General James Uthmeier accused Tampa Mayor Jane Castor of “forcing sanctuary policies on the Tampa Police Department” in a message posted to X earlier this week, Tampa Bay Times readers responded in droves.
Uthmeier said the city’s Police Department prohibited officers from sharing certain information with federal immigration agencies, violating “several Florida laws.” Threatening removal from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis, he ordered Castor to reverse the policies by the end of the month.
Castor, in a statement, said the city “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 story drew more than 340 comments across the Times’ website and social media accounts, including Instagram, Facebook and Nextdoor. There were questions and quips, concerns and commendations.
Here’s what a few of those readers had to say, edited solely for clarity.
“We support Mayor Castor and have faith that as our former police chief she is making the right decisions for our community when it comes to law enforcement. The politicos in Tallahassee and Washington need to stay in their lane and stop grandstanding for political points at the expense of community independence. Leave us alone. If the mayor is not running things the way we want then that is OUR business and no one else’s. ‘Don’t Tread on Me.’”- J. Traugott
“I believe it is important for any law enforcement agency to apply the law consistently. When a police department appears to selectively enforce certain laws while overlooking others, it can unintentionally create additional public distrust. The role of law enforcement is to uphold and enforce the laws that are on the books, even when there may be differing opinions about those laws.” – W. Jackson
“What the state politicians ignore in their micromanaging local communities is that police need the support of the community in order to do their job. If people are afraid to call the police or tell police what they know about a crime, the police may never learn enough to catch the criminal. Local communities know what’s best for themselves. And you’re right: Police should be consistent in enforcing the law, but having local police do immigration enforcement is not a criminal law it is political one.”- M. Chicchetti
“Tallahassee needs to stay in their lane. Interfering in city or countywide elections (as in removing from office an elected official like Andrew Warren), is way out of line. Mayor Castor is duly elected, and should not be threatened in this manner.”- L. Karas
“Any leader of a jurisdiction who actively disobeys an existing federal law should be arrested and made an example of. The supremacy clause is clear and obvious. You don’t have to be a lawyer to figure it out. You may not like a federal law, and that’s fine, but you will enforce it or be put in a cell. Castor can take her pick.”- M. Cronin
“Jane’s fatal mistake was having the audacity to say what happened in Minneapolis was un-American. She became an instant target of the regime in Tallahassee. This is what they do best: Seek revenge and retribution against anyone that disagrees with them. Leave Tampa alone Uthmeier, and stick to your core competence as an unelected leader. That of course would be stealing and laundering taxpayer money and getting overpaid for teaching Basket Weaving at UF.”- G. Bulls