FL law enforcement chief sues DeSantis, says he was forced out for refusing to break the law

20 June 2024

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has bragged for years about how he is a friend of law enforcement. But one of the Sunshine State's top law enforcement officers is now taking the governor to court, alleging that he forced him into retirement for refusing to engage in illegal activity.

According to ABC News, DeSantis is now the defendant in a wrongful termination suit filed by Shane Desguin, the former chief of staff for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). And in Desguin's complaint, he's accusing the two-term GOP governor of pressuring him to break the law.

"[Desguin] alleges his retirement in November was actually a 'wrongful termination' and was the result of him blowing the whistle on a host of issues, including violations of state public records laws, illegal orders to arrest demonstrators without probable cause and directives to obtain photos and personal information of migrants flown to the Sunshine State without legal justification," ABC reported.

Desguin's complaint alleges that starting in 2021, when he was in charge of the Florida Office of Statewide Intelligence and an influx of migrants were arriving in Florida, DeSantis' office communicated to him that he was to "obtain photographs, biometric data, and any other pertinent information by engaging with migrants at the airport."

"As these requests escalated, [Desguin] objected, and emphasized, on multiple occasions ... FDLE could not legally conduct name checks, capture photographs, or compile intelligence files without a criminal predicate or reasonable suspicion, as those actions would be unlawful," Desguin alleged in his complaint.

After DeSantis' office suggested that Desguin put migrants on buses and transport them out of Florida, he pushed back, saying that doing so could constitute "false imprisonment or kidnapping." Massachusetts-based District Attorney Robert Galibois, who represented the jurisdiction including Martha's Vineyard, additionally suggested last year that DeSantis' decision to fly migrants there should be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Desguin, who has been a part of the FDLE since 2005, said his problems with DeSantis continued into late 2023. In September of last year, Desguin said DeSantis ordered him to conduct arrests of neo-Nazis demonstrating in Orlando, believing it would help him politically. Desguin refused, saying that simply arresting people for expressing their views would be against the First Amendment.

"I don't think you understand. If you look hard enough, you can find a way," Desguin was allegedly told. "The Governor [DeSantis] wants someone arrested today. He [Defendant DeSantis] will stand by you in any arrest."

DeSantis' office has refused to comment on Desguin's allegations, saying they will address them publicly in court.

Click here to read ABC's full report.

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