Photo courtesy of Advocates for Basic Legal Equality
By Jasmin Parrado
After more than 10 months, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement finalized the 287(g) agreement with the University of South Florida Police Department, granting UPD officers the authority to question and detain people for immigration-related charges — tasks usually delegated to federal immigration agencies.
ICE approved partnerships with 10 institutions in the State University System of Florida, as well as at least six other postsecondary institutions last spring.
USF and Florida State University remained absent from ICE’s 287(g) delegation database until this year, despite USF first signing the agreement on April 22, 2025.
Almost a year later, Christopher Daniel, the UPD’s chief of police, signed USF’s memorandum of agreement on Feb. 4, and Charles Wall, ICE’s deputy director, signed just six days later.
FSU later joined on Feb. 18, more than a week after ICE approved USF’s agreement, making it the last institution of the State University System of Florida to join.
Community backlash over local and academic law enforcement agreements has echoed for almost a year across the Tampa Bay area.
Organizations like the League of Women Voters of Florida gather regularly to push back against the prospect of local agreements or to encourage withdrawal from current partnerships.
Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) also circulated news of USF’s finalized agreement on an Instagram post released March 2.
“SHAME ON USF, SHAME ON CHRIS DANIEL, SHAME ON MOEZ LIMAYEM,” the post read. “WE WILL NOT WELCOME ICE ON OUR CAMPUS TO TARGET OUR FELLOW STUDENTS.”
Florida still remains the state with the highest number of 287(g) partnerships, with 344 participating agencies to date, including municipalities and universities — neither of which are mandated explicitly to sign on.
The federal and state directives outlining 287(g) only require county and state departments to join.
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Written by: Jasmin Parrado on March 23, 2026.
Last revised by: Julia Ferrara