{"id":189332,"date":"2026-03-12T22:44:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T22:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189332\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T22:44:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T22:44:32","slug":"desantis-administration-threatens-to-remove-tampa-mayor-from-office-over-alleged-sanctuary-policies-at-tpd-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189332\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis Administration threatens to remove Tampa mayor from office over alleged \u2018sanctuary\u2019 policies at TPD"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Tampa
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJane Castor campaigns for Joe Biden in Tampa. By Kim DeFalco\/WMNF News (2024 July 8).<\/p>\n

If Castor is removed before her term is up in May of next year, then the Tampa City Council Chair would become acting mayor, which is currently District 1\u2019s Alan Clendenin.<\/p>\n

by\u00a0Valerie Smith<\/a>\u2013 Creative Loafing Tampa Bay \u2013 March 11, 2026<\/p>\n

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor could be removed from office over an alleged Tampa Police Department immigration policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0letter<\/a>\u00a0to Castor on Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said TPD is violating the law by not disclosing immigration status of crime victims to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n

A 2019 Florida law, drafted in part by Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, prohibits municipalities from enacting any \u201csanctuary policy\u201d that \u201cprohibits or impedes a law enforcement agency from communicating or cooperating with a federal immigration agency.\u201d Last year, the statute was updated to require municipalities to \u201cuse best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.\u201d<\/p>\n

The term \u201cbest efforts\u201d has not yet been defined or ruled on by a court. Refusing to drop the alleged policy could mean civil penalties and removal from office for Castor, which could also result in a legal battle that would define \u201cbest efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0section 4.02\u00a0<\/a>of the Tampa City Charter, if Castor is removed before her term is up in May of next year, then Tampa City Council Chair Alan Clendenin would be acting mayor.<\/p>\n

In a statement sent to press Wednesday afternoon the mayor said the city is actively reviewing the AG\u2019s accusations and currently going over TPD policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn light of the Attorney General\u2019s 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,\u201d said Castor. \u201cTampa is one of the safest cities of our size in the nation because we built trust with our community through collaboration,\u201d said Castor. \u201cThe Tampa Police Department signed the 287(g) and developed its immigration enforcement policy in consultation with partner agencies and law enforcement associations to ensure all immigration-related actions are carried out according to state and federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castor was the police chief for Tampa for six years before she was elected mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cTPD prohibits officers from sharing information with federal immigration authorities regarding victims or witnesses of a crime, including investigating whether they have lawful status,\u201d Uthmeier wrote in the letter\u00a0also posted to X<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Uthmeir added that the state wants immigrants \u201cto fear immigration consequences to the extent they are here unlawfully.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for TPD has not yet responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear how Uthmeier was alerted to TPD\u2019s policy. Last year, the Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement set up a tip line for law enforcement officers to report their departments for not enforcing immigration law.\u00a0The majority of submissions<\/a>\u00a0to the tip line were from people who thought it was a form to report immigrants lacking legal resident status.<\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis has\u00a0wielded the threat of removal<\/a>\u00a0to coerce local leaders before, including pushing local police into cooperating with ICE.\u00a0Gualtieri warned Pinellas police chiefs of the specter of removal<\/a>\u00a0from office when they were rushed into signing 287(g) agreements last year. TPD signed a 287(g) agreement around the same time.<\/p>\n

DeSantis has removed several political opponents from office and has had some of his removals challenged in court.\u00a0Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren<\/a>\u00a0was removed from office when he pledged not to prosecute violators of an abortion ban. This lawsuit went to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case was dismissed because Warren had already lost his bid for reelection and the outcome of the lawsuit wouldn\u2019t change that. Castor\u2019s final term in office will end next year.<\/p>\n

Relationships between police and immigrants have been a central concern of law enforcement leaders who are cautious about entering 287(g) agreements with ICE. The agreements, which municipalities are not required to join, deputize some local officers to conduct certain immigration duties.<\/p>\n

If local police officers are also immigration officers,\u00a0immigrants may be less likely to help the police<\/a>\u00a0with investigations when they are victims or witnesses of crimes, the nonpartisan group American Progress has argued.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Florida police have arrested lawful residents who ended up in ICE detention, including a pregnant Tampa resident named\u00a0Amanda Cardoso<\/a>\u00a0who was here lawfully, awaiting a green card, and had not committed the crime for which she was arrested. Following the arrest, Cardoso spent several months of her pregnancy in ICE detention with little access to medical care.<\/p>\n

This may be why some departments, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office, have adopted policies to ensure victims and witnesses can still work with the police without fear of being detained.<\/p>\n

Notably, the Florida statute that guides local collaboration with federal immigration enforcement also contains the stipulation: \u201cThis section does not authorize a law enforcement agency to detain an alien unlawfully present in the United States pursuant to an immigration detainer solely because the alien witnessed or reported a crime or was a victim of a criminal offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uthmeier said that the policy isn\u2019t needed in local departments because there are other options for crime victims and witnesses who fear deportation. He linked to\u00a0a website<\/a>\u00a0describing \u201cU visas,\u201d which temporarily protect from deportation in the event that someone is the victim of a severe crime. However, these are capped at 10,000 per year; last year,\u00a0the U.S. met that cap by September.<\/a><\/p>\n

The process of applying for this visa is long and the backlog is currently stuck in 2017, according to DHS\u2019s website, and the few other protections for victims\u00a0can also be hard to attain.<\/a><\/p>\n

This story first appeared at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make\u00a0specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation<\/a>. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication or donor interested in\u00a0Tampa Bay Journalism Project<\/a>, please email\u00a0rroa@ctampa.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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