Compliance with federal and state law led Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to sign an addendum Friday to the county’s 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), authorizing local corrections officers to transport immigration detainees to federal detention facilities.
“I signed the damn thing because we really had to. We were put in a tough spot,” Demings told reporters at an Orlando press conference late Friday. “I can’t let our entire Board of County Commissioners and myself be removed from office”
The addendum gives Orange County corrections staff the authority to transport detained individuals to ICE-approved facilities, including the Everglades site critics refer to as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Earlier in the week, Demings had publicly resisted pressure to sign. He accused Uthmeier of overreach, stating he would not be “bullied” into enforcing immigration policy he believed should remain a federal responsibility. However, his office received a letter warning of possible civil and criminal sanctions—including removal from office—if they did not comply
Demings, a former Sheriff, is the husband of former Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings. The couple is known across central Florida as one of the examples of Democratic success in an otherwise heavy Republican state. Demings typically breaks ranks with other former sheriffs on social issues and candidate endorsements, and sides with Democrats. Demings’ initial defiance likely won’t damage his approval with the vast majority of voters in area.
Orange County’s Democratic voter registration is 12% higher than Republican. Orange County’s voters registered as “No Party Affiliation” (NPA) outnumber Republican voters, by nearly 21,000 voters, with 246,501registered NPA and 225,571 registered Republican.
