ICE told Florida police to seek approval before sharing records, report says

Juan Carlos Chavez, Tampa Bay Times on May 11, 2026

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TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is directing local police agencies in Florida to get federal approval before releasing information related to partnership agreements, according to a report by the newsletter Two Can Be True.

The partnerships, known as 287(g) agreements, give law enforcement agencies the ability to question and arrest individuals based on their legal status. The program has led to more immigration-related detentions nationwide, including in Florida, which has the highest number of these agreements, 345, behind only Texas.

The program was designed to help protect communities from “potentially dangerous criminal aliens,” according to ICE. But nonprofits and advocates say it has damaged trust and resulted in more people without criminal records being detained.

The report said ICE’s directive was sent by email between April 19 and May 5, after the newsletter asked why the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office took more than a month to share how many officers had received ICE training. ICE authorized the release of the information after the newsletter told the agency and the sheriff’s office that it planned to publish a story. However, the sheriff’s office sent only partial information.

Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation, said the directive raises serious questions under Florida’s public records law.

“Courts have said that unless there is a specific exemption in Florida law, or a federal law they can cite, an agreement cannot override Florida’s public records law,” Block said. ICE may refuse to release information about its own operations, he said, but “it cannot force state agencies to ignore records laws, unless there’s a specific state exemption.”

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told the Tampa Bay Times that law enforcement cannot share information in response to public records requests because the information is sensitive.

“Coordination is required when local law enforcement is releasing sensitive 287(g)-related information for public disclosure,” the agency said in a statement. “We are not going to disclose law enforcement sensitive intelligence.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Tampa Police Department did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. Two months ago, the city of Tampa updated its immigration policies after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accused the city of “restricting the immigration enforcement activities in which the department may participate” and limiting information shared with ICE.

Jessica Mackesy, a spokesperson for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, said her agency received the ICE directive but said it handles records requests “on a case-by-case basis and will make release decisions consistent with state and federal law.”

The New Port Richey Police Department got the directive on April 21, according to Deputy Police Chief Lauren Letona.

“To date, we have not received any requests for assistance related to ICE matters,” Letona said. “We will continue to always comply with all applicable public records laws and state statutes. The agreement simply states that we will consult with ICE regarding any joint or combined investigations, should they arise.”

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office said in an email Monday that the directive prompted no change in its records policy.

“While we did receive the correspondence from DHS, it was an email reinforcing the agreement,” the agency said in a statement. “It has not changed how we process records requests as they relate to the 287(g) program.”

Alana Greer, director of the Community Justice Project, a Florida-based nonprofit, said Floridians have the right to know what local governments are doing.

“Florida law enshrines this duty of transparency, and blanket threats from ICE do not change that responsibility to the public,” she said.