Florida Jails Shuffle Immigrants to Evade Federal Oversight

(FLORIDA) State and federal teams are moving immigrants through local jails at record pace in 2025, expanding detention and transfers across Florida. Supporters call it tough enforcement; critics warn of rights abuses.

Florida agencies signed new deals with ICE that let state officers start immigration cases and move people faster. At the same time, courts paused parts of a new state law, setting up a major showdown.

Current scale and trends

• The national detained population averaged 57,200 in June 2025 under ICE. When adding people held by the U.S. Marshals Service, local jails, and federal prisons, the total jumps by 45%, according to federal data.
• Florida logged a 17% rise in Marshals bookings from January through April 2025, driven by stepped-up immigration arrests and transfers.
• Florida now has the highest share of agencies with 287(g) agreements—over 76%—allowing local officers to carry out federal immigration work.

In February 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida State Guard to sign new agreements with ICE. These deals let state agents:

• issue immigration detainers,
• prepare charging papers, and
• transport detainees straight to ICE-approved sites.

Officials say this cuts delays and speeds removals.

Florida also opened its first state-run immigration detention center on July 1, 2025. Nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” the Everglades facility has more than $245 million in contracts awarded. A second site at Camp Blanding near Jacksonville is planned if transfers and deportations keep rising.

How the “shuffle” through local jails works

Below is the typical sequence by which people are moved, often within hours:

1. An arrest lands a person in a county jail that has a 287(g) agreement. Jail staff check immigration status and can lodge an ICE detainer.
2. The person may be booked under the U.S. Marshals Service, then shifted to another county jail or a state-run site.
3. From there, transports go to ICE detention centers or other secure facilities, sometimes out of state.
4. Each move can reset the clock and make it harder for families and lawyers to locate the person or access a court.

Advocates say this pattern keeps people away from federal judges and due process. State law instructs sheriffs to honor ICE detainers, and the new state–ICE agreements widen who can start and carry immigration cases.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, Florida’s growing use of 287(g) partnerships in 2025 aligns with this surge in transfers through local jails.

Key takeaway: rapid, repeated transfers can effectively obscure detainees’ locations and interrupt legal access.

Legal status and court actions

• SB 4-C (criminalizing undocumented entry or re-entry into the state) is blocked by a federal district court.
• The U.S. Supreme Court declined to let it take effect while the case is on appeal. Judges flagged concerns about federal preemption and constitutional rights.
• The 11th Circuit is set to hear arguments in October 2025.

Other measures continue despite the block:

• SB 2-C and parts of SB 4-C fund a new State Board of Immigration Enforcement and offer bonuses to agencies that prioritize immigration arrests.
• State coordination, data sharing, and task forces are expanding even as SB 4-C’s criminal penalties remain on hold.

Federal shifts affecting Florida

Three federal policy changes are shaping outcomes on the ground:

• The Laken Riley Act (January 2025) requires ICE to detain immigrants charged with a wide range of offenses, including some minor crimes, increasing bookings that start in local jails.
• Expanded expedited removal lets officers deport some people quickly without a judge or a lawyer.
• Rollbacks of parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for several nationalities increase the number of people who are immediately removable in the United States.

Detention conditions and access to counsel

A July 2025 report by Human Rights Watch and partners describes:

• crowded, unsanitary conditions and medical neglect at Krome, Broward Transitional Center, and Federal Detention Center Miami;
• links between poor medical care and at least two recent deaths;
• reports of people held without charges, blocked from seeing attorneys, and unable to reach immigration courts—especially after multiple transfers.

These findings raise concerns about both health and due process.

Supporters and critics

Supporters:
– Governor DeSantis and many sheriffs argue the approach protects communities and enforces the law.
– The governor says the aim is to “restore the rule of law.”

Critics:
– Civil rights groups—including the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Farmworker Association of Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and others—are suing and documenting cases.
– They argue the system is designed to dodge court oversight and weakens due process, hiding people from lawyers and judges.

Practical steps if someone is detained

Families and attorneys can take simple steps that often help:

• Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator to search by full name, country of birth, or A-number: https://www.ice.gov/detainee-locator
• Keep copies of identification, A-number, and any charging documents with a trusted person outside the jail.
• Ask the jail or facility for the person’s booking number and next transport date; call back daily during transfers.
• Request medical attention in writing and keep copies. If care is denied, note dates, names, and symptoms.
• Call the person’s consulate to request welfare checks and assistance with documents.
• If a transfer happens, ask for the receiving facility’s name and transport vendor. Record bus or flight details when possible.
• Seek legal help. Detained people have the right to counsel at their own expense. Ask for private calls with lawyers and keep phone PINs funded.

What to watch next

• Court calendar: The 11th Circuit’s October 2025 hearing on SB 4-C could reshape how Florida targets state crimes tied to immigration. A further Supreme Court review is possible.
• Capacity: Florida is prepared to expand detention if Alligator Alcatraz fills; contracts for a Camp Blanding site are ready.
• Policy shifts: Changes in federal leadership or new court rulings could alter how ICE and Florida coordinate arrests, jail holds, and removals.

Bottom line

Florida’s immigration drive blends state power with federal tools. The mix pulls people into local jails first, then pushes them through a maze of transfers that can limit access to lawyers and courts. Supporters see order and safety. Critics see a system that hides people and harms families.

Either way, the scale is growing, the rules are changing fast, and the stakes—for liberty, health, and due process—are high.