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In a recent statement, a Florida sheriff expressed the need for federal immigration authorities to remove the “shackles” that restrict local law enforcement from effectively collaborating to enhance community safety against illegal immigrants involved in criminal activities. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd shared his insights with Fox News Digital, emphasizing that local departments could serve as significant allies for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations in fulfilling President Donald Trump’s commitment to deport illegal immigrants.
Sheriff Judd underscored the importance of having adequate infrastructure to detain migrants, insisting that federal authorities need to “take the chain off” local governments. “There has to be a federal infrastructure in place to house these individuals because we can apprehend many of them who are here illegally and committing crimes,” he stated. “Currently, there are 1.4 million individuals with a federal warrant or a removal order. If we can identify them and enter their information into the system, we can go out and pick them up.” He further noted, “You can’t just flip a switch. Infrastructure must be established. However, we are ready to support ICE in a much greater capacity than we already do.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd discussed how his department is assisting ICE with apprehending criminal migrants. (Fox News Digital)
Polk County, located between the Orlando and Tampa metro areas, signed an agreement in 2019—during Trump’s first term—to collaborate with ICE officials. Judd remarked, “Under the previous Trump administration, ICE was able to retrieve many individuals we had arrested on other charges. However, we observed a decline in those numbers under the Biden administration. They seemed to prefer keeping criminal illegal aliens in the country, allowing them to continue victimizing people rather than deporting them.”
He praised Florida leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative figures, for their efforts to create state legislation that fosters cooperation among governments in Florida to facilitate immigration enforcement at the federal level.
Judd highlighted a significant information gap between local law enforcement and federal agencies. He pointed out that migrants with active deportation orders are not recorded in the National Crime Information Center, the central database used by law enforcement to check individuals’ criminal histories. “This poses a safety issue for officers. When we stop vehicles, the occupants may be in the country illegally with an active deportation order, but we have no way of knowing,” he explained. “We also cannot detain them based on this order because the federal government does not include it in the system. We could assist ICE even more effectively if they provided us with the necessary information.”
“We need open communication between the federal government, ICE, and local law enforcement to improve our collaboration,” he concluded. “That’s what we are currently working on.”
(Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Judd recounted an incident from last April or May under the Biden administration when his officers apprehended a criminal migrant accused of violently choking a victim. Following standard procedure, they contacted ICE and placed a hold on him. “He left our jail in an ICE van, and we thought, ‘That’s it,'” he said. “However, last month, we found him again, this time with a DUI alongside his brother, who is also an illegal immigrant. We wondered, ‘Didn’t we deport you?’ Upon following up, we learned that ICE had denied the hold last April, highlighting the issue.”
WATCH: Sheriff Judd highlights criminal illegal migrant apprehensions.
Discussing the impact of illegal immigration on Polk County, Judd provided specific examples of migrant-related crimes affecting local residents. “The Biden administration allowed illegal Venezuelans, known for being professional burglars, to operate here, targeting our Asian-American community who are legally residing and running businesses,” he said. “In fact, seven of the nine burglaries we reported targeted Asian Americans.”
“Additionally, we uncovered a group of Venezuelan migrants responsible for stealing millions across the U.S., with hundreds of thousands taken from victims in Polk County and Central Florida,” he added. “We’ve also seen an increase in traffic fatalities caused by individuals driving without licenses and showing blatant disregard for the law.”
Suspected thieves made off with $1.69 million in cash, jewelry, and clothes stolen from homes in gated communities, according to Judd. The theft took place in August 2024. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Judd noted that their crime rate is currently at a 53-year low due to their strict approach to crime. “Our crime rate could be even lower if it weren’t for the Biden administration allowing criminals to remain in the country. Our victimization would decrease significantly,” he stated.
“We wouldn’t be facing the fentanyl crisis that has claimed the lives of over a quarter-million people. We can change this situation, and we will. We need the federal government to expedite their efforts and prepare for our assistance.”