by Florida has pushed immigration enforcement into uncharted territory, embedding it directly into routine traffic stops and roadside inspections. In a move that has drawn national attention, state troopers and even agricultural inspectors are now doubling as immigration officers under the federal 287(g) program.
What started as a traffic stop initiative is now a wide-ranging crackdown that’s sparked lawsuits, political theater, and heated debates over safety, civil rights, and state authority.
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The state is totally embracing President Trump’s illegal-immigration crackdown. It’s allocated some $300 million for immigration enforcement work, built makeshift detention centers, and now has trained most of its state troopers in a unique program. Dubbed 287(g), it deputizes police to perform some of the same duties as federal immigration officers.
Troopers Turned Immigration Agents
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, 1,774 of the 1,819 sworn state troopers are now credentialed under this program. Since March, these troopers have made more than 3,500 detentions as a part of their work.
“If we do a good job, this system is going to be exported to other states,” said Dave Kerner, head of the state’s Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles agency. Critics, on the other hand, such as the ACLU, warn the program fuels racial profiling by encouraging stops based on minor infractions.
A Fatal Crash Spurs Broader Action
Expansion of the program comes in the wake of a tragic crash on August 12. Authorities say that Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn and a van drove into the side of his truck. All three people in the van died as a result. Singh, who was in the US illegally, reportedly received his CDL in California and Washington State despite failing a basic English proficiency test.
It’s worth noting that he seems to understand and use spoken English in a bodycam video recently uncovered from a previous stop.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier blasted those states for “ignoring the rules” and vowed to strip their federal trucking authority. He also ordered that all 23 agricultural inspection stations in Florida now function as immigration checkpoints, where officers will not only look for pests in produce but also undocumented drivers hauling freight.
Political Spotlight and Public Divide
Governor Ron DeSantis has leaned into the issue as well, boasting of nearly 200 arrests during a weeklong sting in the Panhandle and celebrating the state’s first deportation flight out of Tallahassee. It’s easy to see where proponents are coming from, where safety is concerned.
Illegal immigration can be a safety risk, especially when it involves large trucks barreling down highways. “If you are illegal and driving you should not have a CDL to begin with,” one trucker told CBS Miami. Others worry the state is going too far, creating redundant checkpoints and fostering fear among workers who keep Florida’s economy running.
At this point, it remains to be seen whether Florida’s program will be adopted by other states or if it ends up collapsing under lawsuits and political backlash. What seems to be clear now is that in Florida, a routine traffic stop is no longer just about a missing taillight or a turn signal left unused.
