TAMPA, FL \u2014 Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter on Wednesday threatening Mayor Jane Castor, including potentially removing her from office, for \u201cforcing sanctuary policies on the Tampa Police Department, which violates state law,\u201d he posted to X, adding, \u201cThese [immigration] policies must be reversed immediately, or there will be consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the letter, Uthmeier wrote, \u201cNot only does state law clearly ban \u2018sanctuary policies\u2019 \u2026 [Florida law] requires state and local jurisdictions to \u2018use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.\u2019\u201d (Read the full letter below.)<\/p>\n
Tampa police are violating state law by prohibiting officers from disclosing the immigration status of crime victims or witnesses to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the attorney general alleges. <\/p>\n
\u201cTPD ostensibly supports these policies because they do not want illegal aliens to be concerned with immigration consequences for cooperating with law enforcement,\u201d Uthmeier wrote. \u201cBut we want illegal aliens to fear immigration consequences to the extent they are here unlawfully. These sorts of policies that flout our nation\u2019s immigration laws positively contribute to the mass influx of illegal aliens that Florida has experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney general also said that Tampa police policies \u201cprohibit officers from engaging in \u2018broad-based\u2019 immigration enforcement actions. This ambiguous restriction on immigration enforcement activities is precisely the sort of conduct that Florida law prohibits and plainly fails the \u2018best efforts\u2019 test.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uthmeier told Castor, \u201cYou must do better.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave the mayor a March 31 deadline to reverse \u201cthese unlawful policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wrote, \u201cFailure to do so will risk the enforcement of all applicable civil penalties, including removal from office by the governor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Castor said in a statement released Wednesday that the city will review the attorney general\u2019s concerns about police \u201cpolicies and procedures to ensure that we use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mayor added, \u201cTampa is one of the safest cities of our size in the nation because we built trust with our community through collaboration. The Tampa Police Department signed the 287(g) [agreement with ICE] 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.”<\/p>\n
Read Uthmeier’s full letter to Mayor Castor below: <\/p>\n
Mayor Castor is forcing sanctuary policies on the Tampa Police Department, which violates Florida law.<\/p>\n
These policies must be reversed immediately, or there will be consequences. pic.twitter.com\/Z8SfRu9vFT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) March 11, 2026<\/a>