Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has announced a revised Tampa Police Department immigration policy in response to a warning from Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Castor sent a letter to Uthmeier confirming the city updated the Department’s policy and added language directly from Florida statutes governing cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“We intend to publish and distribute the updated policy to our officers effective immediately,” Castor wrote. “The City of Tampa has no intention of violating state or federal law. We will continue to use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law, as well as state law.”
The exchange follows a sharply worded warning from Uthmeier shared on social media last week accusing Tampa officials of implementing policies that amount to “sanctuary” practices prohibited under Florida law. His post from March 11 generated 134,000 views on X, 565 comments and about 8,700 likes as of Monday afternoon. Uthmeier’s criticism also came at a time that he has been taking heat over his pay working for the University of Florida.
In his letter to Castor, Uthmeier wrote that the Attorney General’s Office became aware of Tampa Police Department policies tied to the city’s participation in the federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program that he said restricted cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Uthmeier argued that language in Tampa’s previous policy restricts officers from sharing certain information about crime victims or witnesses with federal immigration authorities, and could prevent officers from complying with the state’s requirements to support federal immigration enforcement. He warned the city to reverse the policies by March 31 or face potential legal consequences.
“These policies not only frustrate the laws of the State, but they also jeopardize the safety of Tampa residents,” Uthmeier wrote in the March 11 letter. “There are several examples of the serious danger illegal aliens pose to the City of Tampa and how the partnership with federal law enforcement agencies through a compliant 287(g) agreement helps minimize those risks.”
In the X post, Uthmeier accused Castor — a Democrat — of forcing “sanctuary policies on the Tampa Police Department.”
“Mayor Castor is forcing sanctuary policies on the Tampa Police Department, which violates Florida law,” Uthmeier wrote. “These policies must be reversed immediately, or there will be consequences.”
Under the updated procedures, only Tampa Police officers who complete ICE training and are credentialed as “Designated Immigration Officers” may exercise immigration enforcement authorities.
The policy outlines when officers may ask about a person’s immigration status, stating such inquiries must occur only during lawful enforcement actions — such as traffic stops supported by probable cause, arrests for criminal offenses or other authorized detentions — and cannot be based on race, ethnicity or national origin.
Officers who initiate immigration status inquiries must document the encounter and complete a “Suspected Unauthorized Alien Contact” form.
The revised policy also incorporates language from Florida law clarifies that officers are not required to provide federal immigration authorities with information about victims or witnesses who are cooperating with criminal investigations under specified circumstances.