Residents press Pinellas commissioners to end 287(g) cooperation with ICE

Antoinette Burnham of the Pinellas Coalition for Human Rights told the board the coalition wants local law enforcement to cease cooperation with ICE and to protect immigrant residents' rights. “We call on all law enforcement agencies in Pinellas County to end their 287(g) agreements and all participation in ICE DHS immigration enforcement,” she said during the public-comment period.

Several speakers said the county’s jail has held people longer than the 72-hour window specified in those agreements, sometimes through repeated “rebooking” that resets holds and prolongs detention. Donald Hudson, a Largo resident, urged the commission to “talk to the sheriff” about what he described as detainees being held “many, many days beyond that” and the ripple effects on families when breadwinners are detained.

Speakers provided fiscal figures and legal concerns. Joseph Milliner said local taxpayer costs are substantial, citing an operational cost of roughly $150 per detainee per day versus federal contract rates of $118 per day; he asked the commission to examine records showing instances of detention that exceeded 72 hours. Courtney Prokopis urged the board to use its oversight tools, including the Public Safety Coordinating Council and Florida Statute 951.225, to demand a sworn accounting of the discrepancies she said existed between reported jail practices and records presented to oversight bodies.

The board did not take immediate action on the requests during the meeting. Several commissioners said they would ask the sheriff to brief the board and indicated they wanted specifics — an inventory of enforcement tools and data on detention durations — before directing formal policy changes. Commissioners also noted the limited direct authority the board has over day-to-day sheriff operations while committing to using oversight channels where statutorily available.