TAMPA, Fla. - State Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor accusing the Tampa Police Department of violating state law by enacting "sanctuary policies."
What we know:
In the letter, he said that a sanctuary policy means a law, policy, practice, procedure or custom adopted or allowed by a local governmental entity that prohibits or impedes law enforcement agency from communicating or cooperating with a federal immigration agency.
He claims in the letter that the department illegally restricts how officers cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
His biggest issue is that he says the department isn't disclosing immigration backgrounds for witnesses and victims. In the letter he said, "TPD ostensibly supports these policies because they do not want ‘illegal aliens’ to be concerned with immigration consequences by cooperating with law enforcement."
He said the law is clear and that sanctuary policies are prohibited in Florida, and he wants Castor to reverse the policies by March 31. If the policies aren't reversed, Uthmeier said it would "risk the enforcement of all applicable civil penalties," which would include removing Castor from her office as Tampa's mayor.
The other side:
Castor then released a statement in response to the letter.
"In light of the Attorney General’s letter today, the City of Tampa will review the concerns raised and evaluate our policies and procedures to ensure that we use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.
Tampa is one of the safest cities of our size in the nation because we built trust with our community through collaboration. The Tampa Police Department signed the 287(g) and developed its immigration enforcement policy in consultation with partner agencies and law enforcement associations to ensure all immigration-related actions are carried out according to state and federal law."
Dig deeper:
The Tampa Police Department told FOX 13 on Wednesday that there are six officers and two supervisors from the department who are part of the 287(g) program.
287(g) programs are mandatory for all 67 Florida county jails and correctional facilities under state law.
READ: Neighbors urge St. Pete leaders to end police cooperation agreement with ICE
However, they are not mandatory for city-level police departments. But, they are strongly encouraged.
The Source: FOX 13 gathered this information from a letter sent by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a response from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, as well as information from the Tampa Police Department.