Florida Republican Sheriffs Break With AG Uthmeier Over Immigration Enforcement Push

A rare and politically significant fracture has opened inside Florida's Republican law enforcement establishment, with a majority of sheriffs on the State Immigration Enforcement Council expressing reservations about aggressive immigration policing — and Attorney General James Uthmeier publicly telling them to stay the course.

The split broke into the open this week following a council meeting in which Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd — one of the most recognizable law enforcement figures in Florida and a longtime hard-liner on crime — called for a fundamental reassessment of how the state is executing immigration enforcement on the ground.

"While Congress sits on their hands and does nothing about this, we are on the ground floor with this day in and day out — looking in the eyes of these folks that, yes, came here inappropriately," Judd said during the meeting. "But some came here inappropriately only to do better for themselves and their family."

The remarks were not those of a dissenting outlier. According to reporting by the Florida Phoenix, six of the eight council members vocalized support for Judd's position. Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell echoed the concern, citing the human cost of what he called "collaterals" when Immigration and Customs Enforcement gets involved in joint operations.

"We're not out just raiding businesses and homes," Prummell said, "but, unfortunately, when ICE gets involved, you have the collaterals."

Judd announced he plans to write directly to President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, requesting clearer guidance on federal enforcement priorities — a striking move that signals these sheriffs want political cover from Washington before continuing at the current pace.

Uthmeier, speaking at a news conference in Orlando, drew a hard line.

"In Florida, we're going to keep enforcing the law," Uthmeier said. "If people are here illegally, then they are breaking the law, and we are going to enforce it." He added that he would not be signing on to Judd's letter to federal leaders.

The attorney general went out of his way to praise Judd's enforcement record — pointedly citing a recent sting operation that arrested more than 250 individuals, more than 50 of whom were in the country illegally — while making clear that operational sympathy for undocumented immigrants was not a reason to slow enforcement.

Not every sheriff sided with Judd. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, whose Duval County agency has participated in the federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program since 2008, issued a pointed statement distancing himself from the council's majority position.

"I was not on the call referenced and do not share or endorse the comments made by others," Waters said. "Our focus remains on enforcing the law and continuing our mission to make Jacksonville a safer place for all residents." His office reports processing 1,289 individuals for removal proceedings in the past two years alone According to available information,.

The political stakes are considerable. Florida's Republican-dominated Legislature passed sweeping immigration enforcement mandates in recent legislative sessions, and Governor Ron DeSantis has made the issue a cornerstone of his national profile According to available information,. For a supermajority of the council's sheriffs to publicly question the pace and scope of those mandates — and to seek outside arbitration from Congress — represents the kind of internal dissent that rarely surfaces this visibly within the state GOP.

What Judd and his allies appear to be describing is an enforcement machinery that has outrun its own legal and humanitarian instructions. The letter to Washington, if sent, will test whether the friction is a policy disagreement or something deeper.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.