President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visit a temporary migrant detention center informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
A group of MAGA-aligned Florida sheriffs this week made a "stunning break" from President Donald Trump, according to a report from The Daily Beast, urging him to retreat from the extremes of his biggest political goal.
Per the report, the matter arose during a Monday meeting of the Florida Immigration Enforcement Council, an entity established to help push the state's immigration enforcement efforts amid Trump's mass deportation pledge. The council includes eight Republican county sheriffs, six of whom backed a call for the Trump administration to cease deporting undocumented immigrants with no criminal records.
This move represented a major break not just with Trump, but also with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has previously asserted that any and all undocumented immigrants in the U.S. "need to go." One of the six officials who made the call on Monday was Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the council's chair and a close ally of DeSantis.
“While Congress sits on their hands and does nothing about this, we are on the ground floor with this day in and day out — looking in the eyes of these folks that, yes, came here inappropriately,” Judd said. “But some came here inappropriately only to do better for themselves and their family.”
He later added, "We are a country of immigrants."
In addition to the statement made during the meeting, Judd also plans to directly reach out to Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. In addition to pressing these leaders for revised deportation standards, Judd plans to advocate for more lenient punishments for non-criminal undocumented immigrants, according to The Daily Beast, such as "civil fines, mandatory English classes and a ban on public benefits."
“I wholeheartedly agree that Congress, they need to get off their butts and they need to fix it,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said, adding his support to Judd's statement. “We’re not out… just raiding businesses and homes, but, unfortunately, when ICE gets involved, you have the collaterals.”
Trump initially campaigned on a mass deportation agenda that exclusively targeted "the worst of the worst" criminals. Since he returned to office, however, his administration has targeted a vast swath of undocumented immigrants, including those with no criminal records, and even many immigrants with legal status. Critics have accused the federal government of pursuing an agenda hostile to all immigrants, and warned that doing so could inadvertently tank the economy.