Orange County leaders ratify ICE agreement; deputies have deportation orders for 10,000 residents | FOX 35 Orlando
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Orange County leaders ratify ICE agreement; deputies have deportation orders for 10,000 residents

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Published  March 26, 2025 3:23pm EDT
Orange County
FOX 35 Orlando

Orange County looks for loophole out of ICE agreement

Hope CommUnity Center and the Immigrants Are Welcome Here Coalition, representing 30 local and state immigration and human rights organizations, strongly denounce the Orange County Board of County Commissioners’ decision to approve an agreement that effectively deputizes county correction officers as ICE agents. However, the courage of Commissioners Kelly Martinez Semrad (District 5) and Nicole Wilson (District 1), who voted against the measure despite the risk of removal from office, demonstrates the power of citizen advocacy in the fight for justice. FOX 35's Randi Hildreth has the latest.

The Brief

    • The Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) voted to pass an updated partnership agreement between the county jail and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday. However, the vote was not unanimous.
    • Even those who voted in favor of the memo said they felt like they had no choice, and their jobs and future county funding were on the line.
    • Commissioners are expected to continue discussions on a resolution that would provide jail staff with additional guidance and recommendations for how the agreement is carried out at their next meeting on April 22.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Although leaders in Orange County passed an updated partnership agreement between the county jail and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the vote wasn't unanimous. 

The 5-2 vote came after the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) debated for more than two hours over whether to comply with the ratification agreement.

Even those who voted in favor of the memo said they felt like they had no choice, and their jobs and future county funding were on the line.

'Non-compliance will result in possible punitive action’

What we know:

The new approved agreement is part of Florida's support for President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been clear about his stance, and he is urging all local governments and law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security to help enforce federal immigration law. DeSantis has said he will criminally charge those who refuse to cooperate.

Under new state law, the county is now required to participate — or else. Orange was the last of Florida’s 67 counties to ratify the agreement.

"I don't see a scenario where we can invalidate the state law and not comply with it," said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. "Non-compliance will result in possible punitive action … in jeopardy of the loss of federal funding to your county. As the CEO of Orange County, I cannot allow that to happen."

The approved agreement federalizes county jail officers to hold and transfer inmates who are accused of violating immigration law. The county was already tasked with housing undocumented immigrants, but now 17 correctional officers will get additional training by ICE to issue warrants.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said ICE has deportation orders for 10,000 people in the county, and these numbers could grow. 

(Credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

‘This is a federal operation. It should be done by federal agencies’

What they're saying:

District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson was one of the no votes on the agreement. She said she has concerns about due process for detainees — and questions who is paying for all of this.

"We call this the free state of Florida and this feels like the show your papers state of Florida," Wilson said. "This is a federal operation. It should be done by federal agencies, and we're being passed this bill."

Dozens of activists showed up at Tuesday's meeting to oppose the memo, and many shared some of the same concerns as Wilson.

"Instead of that money being spent on that, we need to create affordable housing, clean water, better infrastructure, so our houses don't flood every hurricane," said Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, with the Hope CommUnity Center and Immigrants are Welcome Here Coalition.

District 5 Commissioner Kelly Semrad was the other no vote on the memo. She proposed the board consider resolutions that would detail how Orange County enforces the mandate, including requirements for how quickly a family is notified if someone is detained, data collected to track who is detained and language that could allow the mandate to be void in the county.

"If the law changes, then that would immediately dissolve what the ratification vote established today," Semrad said.

What's next:

Commissioners are expected to continue discussions on a resolution that would provide jail staff with additional guidance and recommendations for how the agreement is carried out at their next meeting on April 22.

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The Source: This story was written based on information gathered from an Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting on March 25, 2025.

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