JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters is now in the center of the state’s immigration fight after it was announced Tuesday that he’s been appointed to Governor Ron DeSantis’ newly created immigration council.
Waters was known as head of the agency’s homicide division before being elected sheriff and during that tenure, he says immigration issues popped up regularly.
“One [situation] in particular, a Mexican national murdered someone and went back to Chiapas and we haven’t seen since,” Waters said. “We have sexual battery cases inside of our jail. We have a bunch of assault cases, we have DUI cases inside our jail. So it’s a real issue.”
Now, Waters has been appointed by the Florida Speaker of the House Daniel Perez to Gov. DeSantis’ newly created immigration council.
He cited the 287g program, which allows local law enforcement to make immigration-related arrests, as evidence of Florida’s commitment to tackling illegal immigration.
“We have the second largest 287g program in the nation,” Waters said. “We processed 2,000 people in our jail last year, 600 of which were ordered out of the country. So it’s a big deal for us.”
During the interview, Waters made sure to stress the point that DeSantis’ new council is designed to deal with immigrants in the country illegally, emphasizing that those who migrated legally have nothing to worry about.
“Why would you be afraid?” Waters questioned. “If you’re a legal immigrant there’s no reason to be afraid [and] anyone who tells them they should are in error.”
Immigration is a massive political issue, so News4JAX asked Waters whether he has any other political ambitions after being appointed to this council, to which he said he does not.
“No, I’ve always said, and you can ask anyone I talk to that’s asked me those questions, I love being the sheriff,” said Waters.