Miami, 30 January. A grand jury in Florida (USA) urged state legislators to prevent the release from prisons of “undocumented (…) criminal arrestees” who took advantage of the “deliberate and open abuse” of the law.
Local media reported Monday that a special grand jury for Florida’s Tenth Judicial Circuit asked the state Congress to “strike out that law and toughen up another” that could lead to the unwanted release of undocumented immigrants.
The grand jury request is the result of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ request to the state Supreme Court in 2022 to create a judicial body to investigate the release of immigrants detained by order. Service Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
As a result of this law, the grand jury said in its submission, “illegal aliens arrested for serious crimes such as sexual assault on a minor, armed vehicle theft and aggravated assault” are able to go free.
The grand jury and public radio and television channel WLRN reported today that a state law allows for lifting of arrest under certain circumstances, for example when an undocumented immigrant has been the victim or witness of a crime.
The grand jury examined this law and indicated that, without “adequate supervision”, this process allows (…) that statements from undocumented immigrants claiming to be “victims” are often “by any are not inquired into or corroborated with the authorities” of the county.
“Unsubstantiated claims are being filed and approved, allowing county officials to ignore and lift those taken into ICE custody,” the grand jury said.
Republican DeSantis, a conservative who has indicated he will run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, advocates zero tolerance for irregular immigration.
The governor has long been critical of federal immigration policies and last June called for a grand jury to look into the matter.
DeSantis also created a resettlement program for undocumented immigrants, moving them to other states, with a budget of $12 million.
Under this program, Florida last September sent fifty immigrants, most of them Venezuelans, who crossed from Mexico to the US to request asylum from San Antonio (Texas) to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
The transfer of immigrants has prompted lawsuits against DeSantis in Massachusetts and Florida, as well as a federal investigation.
DeSantis recently signed an executive order that allows him to mobilize National Guard troops and allocate new state resources to deal with the wave of immigrants coming into the state by sea.
Republicans justified the order with the argument that in the first two months of the current fiscal year alone, the Border Patrol (CBP) detained more than 460,000 people trying to enter the country through the southwest border Was.
