WATCH: Liberal city council members hold hands and cry over agreement with ICE, DeSantis fires off warning

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Three liberal city council members in Florida are being met with outrage and threats of removal after they voted down an agreement the city had made with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A video of the liberal council members crying and holding hands during a Fort Myers, Florida city council meeting about the issue has gone viral, and has been met with mockery and disgust.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had signed legislation requiring state law enforcement to coordinate with the federal government on implementing immigration laws, FloridaPolitics.com explained.

The Fort Myers City Council had negotiated a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which would authorize local law enforcement to train with ICE agents and perform specific immigration officer functions under ICE oversight. Reportedly, all 67 Florida county sheriffs and multiple state agencies have entered into the agreement.

But when it came time for the 6-member Fort Myers city council to vote on the agreement, three city council members voted against it: Terolyn Watson, Darla Bonk, and Diana Giraldo.  Bonk and Giraldo held hands and cried while speaking out against the agreement. Giraldo, who was born in Colombia, lamented, “I can’t stand behind this as an immigrant, the only immigrant sitting in this council.”

Three other city council members voted in favor: Mayor Kevin Anderson, and council membesr Fred Burson, and Liston Bochette.  Since the vote was a 3-3 tie, the proposal failed.  Anderson slammed the failed vote, and noted this could impact funding allotted to the city.

Below is the sobbing display by the leftist council members.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who represents the Fort Myers district in the U.S. Congress, and is running for Governor of Florida, blasted the three council members for voting the agreement down, and called for them to be removed.

“The decision made tonight in the City of Fort Myers to prevent @ICEgov from working with the @fortmyerspolice under the 287(g) program showed atrocious disregard for the safety and security of our Southwest Florida community and must be roundly condemned. We are putting the American people first again and every council-member who voted to flagrantly violate federal and state law should lose their job,” Donalds declared.

“The Fort Myers City Council has a responsibility to IMPLEMENT state & federal law, not to DEFY it. In 2020, I fought them over their illegal mask mandate. Last night, members voted to prevent @ICEgov from working with FMPD, this is dereliction of duty, & they should be REMOVED,” Donalds wrote in another post.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also reacted with a fierce warning: “Thanks to the laws we’ve recently enacted in Florida, local entities are required to participate in federal immigration enforcement. The 287 (g) program trains local law enforcement to aid ICE. Florida will ensure its laws are followed, and when it comes to immigration—the days of inaction are over. Govern yourselves accordingly.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier than blasted out a letter and announced, “Today, I sent a letter to the Fort Myers City Council. Sanctuary policies are illegal in Florida. Your vote last night makes you a sanctuary city. Fix this problem or face the consequences.”

In his letter, Uthmeier writes, “Sanctuary policies are not tolerated or lawful in Florida. Immediate corrective action is required. Failure to correct the Council’s actions will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including but not limited to being held in contempt, declaratory or injunctive relief, and removal from office by the Governor…”

Speaking to Florida’s Voice on Tuesday, Mayor Anderson said, “I am very embarrassed for the city,” and added, “this was one of the worst displays of governance I have seen in my time on the city council and as mayor.”

“I don’t know if they didn’t understand what the memorandum was about… It’s not about creating a team to go rounding up people,” Anderson explained. “It’s about training officers so that when other officers come in contact with people who they believe are undocumented or illegal, you now have an ICE-trained officer who has access to the ICE database and can verify their status. If there’s a civil warrant, then they can start the deportation process. It’s a tool for our police to keep our city safe.”

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