commissioners Tuesday night about-faced and signed a controversial immigration enforcement agreement.
Key West Mayor Danise Henriquez scheduled Tuesday's special meeting to discuss whether the city should sign the agreement or join South Miami's legal challenge after Uthmeier reacted to commissioners voiding the agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Dozens of residents at Tuesday's meeting spoke out against Key West commissioners signing the 287(g) agreement, which deputizes local police officers to enforce federal immigration law — with the city footing the bill for the personnel. They urged commissioners to stand by their previous vote or join South Miami in court.
Key West City Commissioners vote to join the controversial 287(g) agreement, reversing a June 30, 2025 decision cheered by residents.
Just eight days before, commissioners voted 6-1 to void the agreement Police Chief Sean Brandenburg made in March following pressure from fellow police chiefs and county sheriffs. Commissioner Donald Lee, who formerly served as Key West police chief, joined Henriquez and Commissioner Aaron Castillo in changing their previous vote at the Tuesday night meeting.
"I hope that the pending declaratory relief action filed by South Miami soon provides answers to municipalities' legal requirements regarding this issue," Lee said at the meeting. "Until that time, I believe we must follow the law and require the Key West Police Department to sign the 287(g) agreement.
"Tonight I vote with my head, not my heart."
Commissioner Monica Haskell moved to postpone voting on the resolution until a judge could make a ruling on South Miami's challenge.
"Make no mistake, that entering into the 287(g) is the worst option for our community. Key West depends on tourism. We depend on trust. Turning our police into ICE agents erodes both," she said during the meeting. "This isn't about politics, it's about public safety and economic survival."
The motion failed, causing almost the entire audience to jeer at the commissioners and prompting a mass exodus.
The commissioners' June 30 vote made Key West the first city in Florida to void its 287(g) agreement. More than 250 municipal police departments and sheriff's offices in Florida have already signed the agreement.
Key West's decision quickly drew the ire of Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier, who threatened to remove commissioners from office for instituting what he called a sanctuary policy.
Following the threat, Henriquez called a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss commissioners' options, including signing the agreement or joining South Miami's legal challenge asking a state court to rule on whether Florida municipalities must sign the agreement.
Henriquez didn't respond to New Times' requests for comment.
Hours after the June 30 vote, Uthmeier took to social media, stating on X that Key West officials would be hearing from his office.
Twelve hours later, he sent a letter to Key West officials warning he'd remove them from office if they failed to reverse the decision.The City of Key West will be hearing from my office very soon. pic.twitter.com/vk5DtRcJiO
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 1, 2025
Uthmeier's office viewed the decision as a "sanctuary policy," which is illegal in Florida, and refers to practices that impede law enforcement officers' operations.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
In its lawsuit, South Miami argues it’s not required to join a 287(g) immigration enforcement agreement, saying the state law targets counties, not cities. The lawsuit claims that deputizing local police increases costs and liability, and that refusing the agreement shouldn’t make the city a target under Florida’s sanctuary-city ban.
Uthmeier's office, which did not respond to requests for comment, has yet to reply to South Miami's legal filing. In late June, his office filed for a two-week extension ending July 9.
