"The following morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rebuked the council members who opposed the agreement, posting on X: "The days of inaction are over. Govern yourselves accordingly." Hours later, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to the council threatening to remove the lawmakers from office, which he shared on X, adding: "Fix this problem or face the consequences.""
"In February, the Florida legislature passed a pair of immigration bills, SB 2-C and SB 4-C, that targeted "sanctuary" policies in the state. The new laws not only required municipalities to cooperate with ICE, but also gave the governor the authority to remove local officials that got in the way. Three days after the removal threats, the council held an emergency meeting and voted unanimously in favor of the immigration agreement."
Federal deployments of National Guard troops and threats to invoke the Insurrection Act create visible displays of federal power while state preemption laws quietly curtail municipal autonomy. In Fort Myers, a city council initially rejected an ICE partnership but reversed course after the governor and attorney general publicly threatened to remove local officials. Florida laws SB 2-C and SB 4-C mandate municipal cooperation with ICE and grant the governor power to oust obstructing local officials. Similar bills are proliferating nationwide, with lawmakers in 48 states introducing more than 800 preemption measures this year that constrain local policymaking.
Read at Truthout
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