Commissioners voted 6-1 on Monday to void the 287(g) agreement, a controversial federal agreement that grants police officers authority to act as de facto immigration agents. They found that the original agreement violated the city charter and flouted the community's will.
The decision appears to make Key West the first city in Florida to void its 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Commissioner Monica Haskell, who introduced the agreement, approved it alongside Commissioners Aaron Castillo, Mary Lou Hoover, Samuel Kaufman, and Donald Lee (Key West's former police chief). Commissioner Lissette Cuervo Carey voted against it.
Uthmeier on Wednesday labeled the decision a "sanctuary policy," which is defined as one that prohibits law enforcement from completing their duties. Florida law bars sanctuary policies and so-called "sanctuary cities."
Uthmeier argued the city must immediately reverse its decision in an opinion Uthmeier issued on Wednesday.The City of Key West violated state law when they voted to void the Key West Police Department’s 287(g) agreement with ICE.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 2, 2025
We will not allow this unlawful sanctuary policy in Florida. They have a choice: stop impeding law enforcement from enforcing immigration law or face the… pic.twitter.com/tATKp4CNCp
"Illegal aliens represent a significant danger to Key West," Uthmeier writes in his opinion before referring to ICE the arrest of ten immigrants in March, "all of whom were previously convicted sex offenders," he wrote. in his letter to the city commission.
"The City Commission must immediately reverse its June 30, 2025, action and allow the Police Department to resume cooperative agreement with ICE under its 287(g) agreement," he wrote in his letter to the city commission. "Failure to take corrective action will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including removal from office by the Governor."
Uthmeier has been threatening municipal officials with removal from office for months in an effort to strong-arm cities into joining President Donald Trump's far-reaching crackdown on immigration.
Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg speaks to an unimpressed audience about signing an agreement with ICE.
Commissioners at the meeting argued they weren't instituting a sanctuary policy but rather trying to fulfill their constituents' will and vote their conscience.
"I believe all humans have dignity and rights, and those rights are codified in the Constitution and our city charter," Haskell said at the meeting before the vote. "ICE has a job to do. I, for one, don't want to require our local police to be part of it."
