A Florida sheriff is combating illegal immigration by sharing a bold statement with those in the state illegally ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
“And I leave with this message: ‘To the south and down.’ Do it yourself. You can self-deport and avoid a lot of prison time, but it’s time to go south and get down,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference Wednesday.
Grady was joined by Governor Ron DeSantis and several other local and state officials during the press conference held in Winter Haven to discuss actions to combat illegal immigration.
Judd said cracking down on illegal immigration would help reduce crime.
FLORIDA PROPOSAL WOULD PROHIBIT ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN THE US FROM ATTENDING SOME UNIVERSITIES
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
“Florida needs to set an example for other states and support the president (Trump) in getting rid of these criminals who are victimizing our people,” Judd said.
During the press conference, Judd also shared several specific examples of crimes involving illegal immigrants, including murder cases, DUI manslaughter, and organized robbery rings.
DeSantis echoed Judd and said he was confident the second Trump administration would take swift action against the outgoing Biden administration’s immigration policy.
FLORIDA SHERIFF TO CONGRESS AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATION: ‘SHAME ON THEM ALL’
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has promised to help President-elect Trump crack down on illegal immigration. (Getty Images)
“We in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission,” DeSantis said. “The mission is very simple: We need to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all in these United States of America.”
Florida has sued the Biden administration on several different occasions, including over its “unlawful” catch-and-release policies at the southern border and, more recently, over its alleged refusal to help the state purge noncitizens from voter rolls. in the 2024 elections.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN FLORIDA TRAPS 157 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 25 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Then-President Trump greets Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during a campaign rally on October 31, 2018 in Estero, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Pictures)
DeSantis scheduled a special session to begin the week after Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 to fund efforts to address illegal immigration, including detention and relocation. The governor has said the state must work to support Trump’s promises to address illegal immigration and ensure that “we don’t have any persistent incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”
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In a post on Fact Social on Tuesday, Trump thanked DeSantis for calling a special session and said “hopefully other governors will follow!”
Fox Information Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Stepheny Worth is a writer for Fox Information Digital and Fox Enterprise. Suggestions and story concepts can be sent to stepheny.value@fox.com
