SOUTH MIAMI, Fla. – The city of South Miami and immigrant advocates are suing Gov. Ron DeSantis over a new law that forces local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by lawyers with the Southern Poverty Law Center. It says the new law will erode trust in law enforcement and lead to racial profiling.
"Floridians are in imminent danger of unlawful arrest," said Alana Greer, of the Community Justice Project.
DeSantis signed a bill last month to ban "sanctuary" polices.
The new law prohibits local governments from enacting polices that protect immigrants who are in the country illegally from deportation. It also requires law enforcement officers to honor the directions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers regarding immigrants in the country illegally who are arrested or convicted of a crime.
"Forcing local police to re-arrest people every time ICE makes a request without questioning the validity of those requests will inevitably cause constitutional violations and racial profiling," said Mich Gonzalez, of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Opponents say the law would also cause people to be deported for minor offenses like traffic infractions.