STUART, Fla. — The illegal immigration crackdown promised by the Trump administration is underway.
Some of the impact has begun in our area.
Six migrants arrested in Martin County this week
Six undocumented migrants were arrested Tuesday in Martin County. All of them are from Guatemala and had lengthy criminal records. The arrests were made by the Miami office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which covers our region.
On Friday, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek released this statement: "Florida sheriffs have been advised that there are roughly 1,500 bed spaces in federal detention facilities. It's possible the beds will fill up quickly."
When WPTV's Cassandra Garcia spoke with the sheriff on Wednesday, he told her they’re expecting a migrant influx at the maritime border.
“As the drug trafficking is hopefully stopped on the Mexican border side, they’re going to try to do an in route back into the East Coast,” said Sheriff Budensiek.
He says the department is making several changes, starting with turning their marine units into federal agents.
“It gives them federal jurisdiction to go up to 26 miles offshore to help Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and the Coast Guard cut down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling,” said Sheriff Budensiek.
Previous coverage: Sheriff Budensiek 'looking forward' to working with Coast Guard
We've also learned he’s requested that at least 10 deputies receive Homeland Security Investigations certifications to give them the authority to place federal holds on illegal immigrants in the county jail.
Additionally, he said he’s prepared to up staffing in the jail as needed.
Garcia also reached out to the Florida Department of Corrections to get their reaction on a possible influx. They responded with the following statement:
Because of scenarios like the one you have put forward and those we have continually experienced over the last four years of the Biden administration, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) stands with Governor DeSantis and his call for urgent action on immigration enforcement during next week’s special session.
