Florida Education Department says it'll comply with Trump immigration enforcement effort
Florida's education department says it will comply with a new federal directive to allow immigration enforcement into schools.
The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that created "protected areas" from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Biden-era guidance that blocked ICE from schools, places of worship and health care facilities.
"Florida schools will cooperate with all law enforcement working to enforce the nation’s laws on illegal immigration and keep our schools safe," Sydney Booker, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education, told the USA TODAY Network – Florida on Thursday.
She did not respond directly to a question asking if that meant allowing immigration agents on public school grounds, including for ICE raids.
In a statement, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the move was "essential to ending the invasion" and securing the southern border of the U.S.
“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens – including murderers and rapists – who have illegally come into our country," said Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman.
"Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense."
In Florida, over one-fifth of Floridians are foreign born and immigrants make up a quarter of the state’s workforce.
There are an estimated 1 million people in mixed-immigration status families in Florida, said Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. About 130,000 immigrants who entered the country illegally are married to Floridians who are U.S. citizens, and nearly half of the farmworkers in the state are also in the U.S. illegally.
Currently, there are approximately 2.86 million students enrolled in Florida public schools, according to state data.
The move has left some families wondering whether it's safe to send their children to school. In other parts of the country, districts are preparing for dropping attendance rates.
In Miami-Dade County, however, there was no noticeable drop in attendance on Thursday. Attendance was 93%, comparable to how it was the rest of the week, Assistant Superintendent Jaquelyn C. Diaz said in an email.
Homeland Security's directive came one day after President Trump signed sweeping executive orders to overhaul the country's immigration policies on Day 1 of his presidency.
Since Trump took office, he has signed executive orders to end birthright citizenship, guaranteed by a 127-year-old Supreme Court decision on the 14th Amendment, and declared a national state of emergency at the border.
On Wednesday, the White House announced the Pentagon was sending as many as 1,500 additional active duty forces to the border.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to support the federal government's immigration mandates, including convening a special session to come up with state funding and legislation to carry out Trump's orders.
The two-day special session bitterly divided Florida’s ruling Republicans in state government, who dismissed DeSantis' plan and instead passed a bill creating sweeping new powers for state and local law enforcement to help federal immigration enforcement.
Even though legislators had revised the legislation (SB 2-B) in an attempt at compromise, its passage likely ensures a veto from DeSantis, who referred to it as a "weak, weak, weak" version of his immigration agenda. And the Senate didn't approve the bill with enough votes to override a veto.
Unsurprisingly, the governor on Wednesday posted on X: "The veto pen is ready."
The final vote also came after a frenzied 48 hours of online invective from DeSantis staff and supporters directed at legislative leaders who pushed the bill and at Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who would take over enforcement as the state’s chief immigration officer.
DeSantis also threatened local officials with suspension if they are "neglecting their duties” and do not comply and enforce the federal government's immigration laws: "President Trump has a mandate, and the state of Florida is going to be there every step of the way,” the governor said.
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com.