{"id":387449,"date":"2026-09-01T19:16:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/387449\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T19:16:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:16:43","slug":"pinellas-human-rights-board-could-investigate-sheriff-for-immigrant-detention-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/387449\/","title":{"rendered":"Pinellas human rights board could investigate sheriff for immigrant detention policies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PinellasPinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri Credit: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office\/YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n

Pinellas County\u2019s authority on human rights is exploring options to investigate Sheriff Bob Gualtieri following a ProPublica investigation<\/a> that uncovered unconventional immigrant detention practices.<\/p>\n

The report found that the jail was repeatedly booking immigrants,<\/a> briefly releasing them into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, then rebooking them to reset a 72-hour detention time limit. <\/p>\n

At the Tuesday meeting of the county\u2019s human rights board, Pinellas County\u2019s League of Women Voters showed up to ask the board to look into the sheriff\u2019s rebooking policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur concern is the care of our immigrant siblings,\u201d said Brittany Leclair, pastor at the First United Methodist Church of Pinellas Park, addressing the board. \u201cWe\u2019re here today to demand some answers as to why the human rights board is allowing this kind of inhumane care to happen to our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The board might not be able to do anything about it. During most meetings, members address discrimination and wage theft in the county. They usually only investigate on behalf of an impacted individual who files a complaint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The board meeting is attended by representatives of many county agencies,<\/a> including the tax collector, the supervisor of elections and the property appraiser. The sheriff does not have a designated representative.<\/p>\n

County Commissioner and Board Chair Ren\u00e9 Flowers said at the meeting that she would reach out to the sheriff and consult with county lawyers to determine what authority the board has, if any.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will ask for a presentation from the sheriff\u2019s office to this body \u2026 regarding the time frame by which individuals are supposed to be held,\u201d Flowers said. \u201cI can\u2019t make him come, but I will extend the invitation to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone seeking a legal challenge against the sheriff has a tough opponent.<\/p>\n

Gualtieri once held the dual-role of legal counsel and chief deputy for the Pinellas County Sheriff\u2019s Office. His legal maneuvering has landed him a position as one of the nation\u2019s leading experts on using local police to enforce federal immigration laws.<\/p>\n

At the start of Trump\u2019s first term, Gualtieri proposed a novel method of detaining immigrants in county jails. He told the State Immigration Enforcement Council last year<\/a> that the old documents ICE used to ask jails to detain immigrants were unenforceable. Gualtieri rose to the challenge.<\/p>\n

In 2018, a joint report<\/a> by five leading immigration and civil rights groups called the proposal \u201cthe Gualtieri Memo.\u201d The workarounds proposed in the memo, the report said, were illegal. But Gualtieri\u2019s proposal eventually became a model of 287(g) agreement\u2014a formal arrangement that allows local law enforcement to take on ICE duties.<\/p>\n

Last year, with input from Gualtieri, the state required all Florida jails<\/a> to enter into this form of 287(g) agreement. If a sheriff tries to scale down his participation with ICE, he can be removed from office under a Florida law banning sanctuary policies\u2014a law Gualtieri helped write.<\/a><\/p>\n

Flowers and Gualtieri did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n

This article appears in August 27 \u2013 September 02, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t