By José Niño
Republican sheriffs in Florida, selected by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to implement the nation’s toughest immigration enforcement policies, are now urging President Donald Trump to halt deportations of illegal aliens who have not been convicted of crimes.
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Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd stated during a State Immigration Enforcement Council session:
While Congress sits on their hands and does nothing about this, we are on the ground floor with this day in and day out, looking in the eyes of these folks that, yes, came here inappropriately. But some came here inappropriately only to do better for themselves and their family.
Judd revealed plans to draft a letter to Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) requesting clearer standards for which illegal aliens should face removal. At least six of the eight sheriffs serving on the council expressed agreement with his stance. One characterized the state’s approach as casting “too wide of a net” while another delivered pointed criticisms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) methods.
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell concurred:
I wholeheartedly agree that Congress, they need to get off their butts and they need to fix it. We’re not out just raiding business and homes, but, unfortunately, when ICE gets involved, you have the collaterals.
The sheriffs have committed to collaborating on a letter asking the administration to cease deporting illegal aliens lacking criminal histories. As an alternative, Judd proposed that authorities could impose civil fines, require English-language acquisition, or prohibit recipients from accessing taxpayer funded assistance.
Judd continued:
But we already know those people are doing that, and primarily going to Catholic Church on Sunday. Those are the folks that we need in this country that we embrace. We are a country of immigrants.
These remarks constitute a striking about-face from officials who cultivated their public profiles through aggressive immigration enforcement. Less than 12 months before the council gathering, Judd reportedly petitioned President Trump to issue additional executive orders empowering state law enforcement to accelerate removal of illegal immigrants, including those without criminal backgrounds. In January 2026, he was publicly hosting roundtables focused on intensifying illegal immigration crackdowns alongside Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
Prummell received his appointment to the State Immigration Enforcement Council in early 2025 specifically because of his proactive approach to apprehending illegal immigrants. In January 2026, the American Constitutional Rights Union bestowed its Defender Award upon him for his partnership with ICE to “protect legal, law-abiding citizens from criminal illegal aliens.”
After news outlets characterized the council meeting as a revolt against Trump, Judd convened a press conference to elaborate on his position. “We, in fact, support the mass deportation of illegal aliens, those that are criminals, those that have warrants of deportation, those that are here creating havoc and problems,” he stated. He reaffirmed his commitment to cooperating with ICE while continuing to advocate for a “path forward” for non-criminal undocumented immigrants willing to pay penalties and acquire English proficiency.
Estimates of Florida’s illegal immigrant population differ substantially depending on the source. The Department of Homeland Security’s most recent publicly accessible figures placed the number at roughly 590,000, positioning Florida third behind California and Texas.
Pew Research Center calculations, however, estimate Florida’s illegal population at approximately 1.6 million, reflecting an increase of around 400,000 people between 2019 and 2024 driven largely by Venezuelan and Haitian migration to South Florida. The LA Times reported that Florida absorbed more immigrants per capita than any other state during the Joe Biden administration, receiving 1,271 migrants per 100,000 residents from May 2023 to January 2025.
The sight of Florida’s Republican sheriffs moderating their immigration enforcement positions reveals a core deficiency in the prevailing approach to border security and interior enforcement. President Trump cannot achieve substantive immigration restriction through executive action alone. A coherent immigration policy demands that Congress pass legislation rather than surrendering all authority to the executive branch.
Legislators must draft and enact bills establishing an immigration moratorium, terminating chain migration, and eliminating birthright citizenship through legislation instead of depending solely on Trump’s executive order addressing the issue, which confronts uncertain legal prospects.
State governments must also exhibit greater political creativity, coordinating with federal authorities to enable mass deportations rather than objecting about economic blowback when enforcement creates inconveniences for business interests.
The statements from Florida’s sheriffs demonstrate that the Republican Party at both state and federal levels remains fundamentally unprepared for the civilizational challenge of restricting both legal and illegal immigration.
When the most aggressive immigration enforcers in the most militant anti-illegal immigration state begin describing immigrants attending Catholic Church on Sundays as people “we embrace,” the movement for authentic immigration restriction confronts a far more profound crisis than executive order court battles.
José Niño is a writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is currently the Deputy Editor of Headline USA. You can contact him via Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
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