Floridians Are Getting Glimpses of What Aggressive Immigration Enforcement Looks Like

The year had barely begun when Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida demanded legislation cracking down on illegal immigration — before President Trump was inaugurated, and before any other state could beat him to it.

The Republican governor got his wish. And now, the impact of the state’s new, aggressive enforcement powers is starting to become clear.

The Trump administration has boasted of making hundreds of immigration arrests in Florida, with the state’s help. A South Florida detention center has added a plexiglass structure with rows of cots to deal with overcrowding. Mr. DeSantis and his handpicked attorney general, James Uthmeier, threatened to remove members of a City Council who initially opposed working with federal officials on immigration enforcement, accusing them of embracing “sanctuary policies.”

In recent weeks, Mr. Uthmeier also seemed to defy a federal judge’s order on one of the new state laws. The judge, Kathleen M. Williams of the Federal District Court in Miami, temporarily blocked part of one law that makes it a state crime for unauthorized immigrants to enter Florida. Despite the judge’s order, Mr. Uthmeier told police officers that he “cannot prevent” them from making arrests under the law in question.

Such has been the tumult playing out in Florida since Mr. DeSantis signed two sweeping immigration laws in February, saying that he wanted to be on the front lines of helping the Trump administration carry out mass deportations. The measures have entangled every level of state government and unnerved residents who had long considered Florida an immigrant haven.

“I’ve never seen so many people so scared or concerned in 50 years that I’ve been working in Miami,” said Wilfredo O. Allen, an immigration lawyer.