ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia awarded on Tuesday over $1.8 million to sheriff’s offices across Northeast Florida to support their immigration enforcement efforts.
During a news conference in St. Augustine, Ingoglia said the funds came from the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.
“We are proud to continue our work with the Department of Homeland Security and President Trump to ensure that our communities become safer every day,” Ingoglia said.
Here’s a breakdown of the money awarded to sheriff’s offices across Northeast Florida:
- $1 million to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
- $606,151 to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office
- $108,384 to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
- $94,000 to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
- $25,683 to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office
“I want to commend the governor, the legislature, our CFO, for taking this issue seriously and backing it up with real action, not just words, for new laws that hold people accountable to resources that help sheriffs do their jobs more effectively,” JSO Sheriff T.K. Waters said.
Waters said JSO has arrested 545 undocumented immigrants for deportation through the 287(g) program. He said of those, about 140 have been arrested for driving under the influence.
“Over 140 of them, DUIs that are very dangerous on our roadways, who have committed crimes in our community and can thankfully no longer victimize the citizens of Jacksonville,” Waters said.
According to St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick, there have been 710 roadside deportations in his county since the agency began keeping track on Jan. 23. In addition, 421 people who were in jail for criminal offenses have also been deported.
Hardwick commended his team for the work they’ve been doing to crack down on illegal immigration.
“They got that clear decision and clear direction of what to do under the 287(g_ program. And we really stepped it up,” Hardwick said.