After Empty Bluster, Orlando Mayor Capitulates to ICE in Record Time
by Margaret Flavin Aug. 4, 2025 11:00 am188 Comments
Orlando Mayor Jerry Demings/Image: Government of Orange County, Florida
Last Wednesday, Orlando, Florida, Mayor Jerry Demings was full of empty bluster when he vowed to “never” sign an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Demings told reporters, “I’m not going to be bullied by the State Attorney General.”
By Friday, Demings capitulated.
Demings was responding to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s warning that put Orange County leaders on notice that Governor Ron DeSantis could remove them for not adopting a modified agreement with ICE.
The addendum to the agreement allows ICE to partner with state and local officials and correctional officers to transport detainees to other detention facilities, including “Alligator Alcatraz.”
AG Uthmeier sent a July 29 letter to Demings and all six county commissioners after learning Demings directed Orange County Corrections to reject the ICE and the Florida Sheriffs Association’s addendum.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/after-empty-bluster-orlando-mayor-capitulates-ice-record/
