A Florida mayor is thumbing her nose at the state and federal government, declaring her city won’t lift a finger to help deport illegal immigrants. Lake Worth Beach Mayor Betty Resch brazenly announced Tuesday, “We are not going to cooperate with ICE,” adding that her local cops won’t be trained to help federal agents enforce immigration law.
Betty Resch, the mayor of Lake Worth Beach, Florida, says that "we are not going to cooperate with ICE" and will not allow local law enforcement to be trained by ICE to arrest illegals. pic.twitter.com/XZDmGx66ox
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 22, 2025
This defiant stance flies in the face of a massive statewide effort, where just two months ago, every single one of Florida’s 67 county sheriffs signed agreements with ICE to boost “street-level” immigration enforcement. Governor Ron DeSantis has made it crystal clear he expects local officials to play ball, warning in March that he has “tools,” including suspension, to deal with those who refuse to cooperate with federal authorities.
But Lake Worth Beach, which proudly declared itself Florida’s first LGBTQ+ sanctuary city back in 2023, seems determined to carve its own path, even if it means siding against law enforcement efforts championed by the governor and county sheriffs. Mayor Resch seems more concerned with signaling virtue than upholding the law, potentially creating a haven for those who have entered the country illegally.
While Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has said his deputies won’t do random sweeps, he did commit to assisting ICE when they have a federal warrant. Resch’s blanket refusal goes a step further, setting up a potential showdown with Tallahassee. Whether this progressive enclave can truly defy the state’s push for immigration enforcement remains to be seen, but the mayor has certainly drawn a line in the sand.
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