A Florida sheriff believes working with federal immigration officials is key to stopping criminal migrants.
St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick says his department must partner with federal officials.
His county is part of the 287(g) program, which lets ICE give local officers power to handle certain immigration tasks. That includes identifying and detaining illegal migrants.
"Deputy sheriffs have been working on Interstate 95 with our Customs and Border Patrol, with ICE and with ERO," he said. "We've been working with all of our federal partners to go ahead and enforce not just immigration, but also enforce human trafficking, sex trafficking, guns, narcotics and every illegal activity that's going on out there."
St. Johns County Jail isn’t a federal holding site. But deputies still work closely with officials to report illegal migrants.
If deputies stop someone for a traffic violation and they have no valid ID, they check their status. If they’re in the country illegally, they book them.
"Our deputy sheriffs will take you to the St. Johns County Jail for driving with no valid driver's license," he said. "And we'll roll your fingerprints into the systems. We'll also run it through a system called IAQ [Immigration Alien Query]. And it will show if you have a civil deportation letter or maybe a warrant for your arrest.
"We run IAQ almost daily in St. Johns County Jail," he added. "And we have detainers almost daily."
Florida officials are pushing even harder on immigration enforcement.
"We're going to actually hold all the sheriffs accountable and let them play in the sandbox and make sure we're working with our federal partners to enforce these deportations, holds and our lists," he said.
Every Friday at 2 p.m., they meet with federal, state, and local partners. They discuss criminal aliens wanted in Florida or nearby.
"And a simple warning, that in the state of Florida, if you are wanted — whether you're an illegal alien or you're a citizen of the United States — we are going to hunt you down to find you and hold you accountable for your actions," he said.
Fake Social Security numbers and driver's licenses make things tricky. Some look real but aren’t.
That’s why they’re using new technology. It helps law enforcement track who is arriving in the county.
"We have really been working Interstate 95 hard because we know there's a lot of interdiction out there that is being overlooked. We have a brand-new tool and technique here in Saint Johns County. We just fired up just recently," he said.
License plate readers scan cars entering and leaving. They alert officers to stolen cars, wanted persons, or deportation orders.
"As of yesterday, we're averaging between 17 and 22 hits," he said. "So, I think we're just doing things just a little bit different here in St. Johns County and leading from the front, leading by example."
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new immigration laws. Hardwick says they’re waiting for further guidance.
"We only have 1,500 beds in the state of Florida for deportation," he said. "And Florida has over 23 million people living here. We just have to track the ones that have a warrant for their arrest, and we need to get them out of our country."
He pointed to former President Donald Trump’s stance.
"Let's start preparing for if that happens and what it will look like," he said.
"I think it's important that we just do something a little bit different, and we don't come in this job and sit as elected officials and do the status quo," he added. "You have got to think outside the box."