Miami-Dade Mayor Moves Undo County’s Position as ‘Sanctuary’ After Trump’s Executive Order

On Wednesday, Donald Trump issued an executive order to stop funding communities that act as “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants.

As a result, on Thursday, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez moved to reverse the county’s position as a “sanctuary” by forcing the county jail to respect the federal immigration detention request. Back in 2013, the county refused to hold inmates who are in the country illegally and wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE. However, since Trump’s executive action, fearful of losing millions of dollars for failing to cooperate with ICE, Gimenez demanded compliance.

“In light of the provisions of the Executive Order, I direct you and your staff to honor all immigration detainer requests received from the Department of Homeland Security,” the Mayor wrote to the interim director of the corrections and rehabilitation department.

“I want to make sure we don’t put in jeopardy the millions of funds we get from the federal government for a $52,000 issues,” Gimenez said of the $355 million in federal funds the county looks to receive in 2017 to support elderly services, beds for the homeless and other government expenses.

Initially, the county’s refusal to detain illegal immigrants was not based on anything other than the financial burden, as the federal government doesn’t fully reimburse the county for the detention expense.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re going to be arresting more people,” Gimenez wrote. “It doesn’t mean that we’re going to be enforcing any immigration laws.”

Thursday evening, when the Miami Herald reported the story, Trump commented on Twitter, writing “Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!”

Officials are already working on reversing the county’s position as a “sanctuary,” so that it will not be targeted for federal cuts, reports state.

In the meantime, ACLU released a list of things to remember if ICE agents show up at your residence.

“At the very least, a warrant from a court, not merely a request from a federal official, is required to detain somebody in jail,” Howard Simon of the Florida chapter of the ACLU said. “We will resist every attempt by our government to punish immigrants, regardless of their status.”