Florida Mayor Alleges ICE Detainee Tactics to Bypass Jail Time Limits

Orange County mayor and immigration lawyers say federal authorities are transporting migrants 'around town' to restart detention clocks.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 8:06pm

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Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and immigration attorneys claim that federal immigration authorities have been transporting detained migrants 'around town' before rebooking them into local jails the same day, effectively resetting the three-day detention limit. This alleged practice comes amid mounting strain on Florida's detention system, with some individuals held for longer than the federal guidelines allow.

Why it matters

The allegations raise new concerns about how immigration enforcement is being carried out in Florida, which has one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement systems in the country under Governor Ron DeSantis. The practice could be seen as an attempt to bypass legal limits on detention times, further straining local jails and drawing criticism from some Republican officials.

The details

According to the report, detainees in Orange County were not being transferred to federal immigration facilities as expected, but instead briefly moved before being rebooked into jail custody, effectively resetting the clock on how long they could be held. This practice emerges amid mounting strain on Florida's detention system, with local jails struggling to handle a growing number of detainees and some individuals held for longer than the three-day limit set by federal guidelines.

  • In 2025, state and local agencies made roughly 20,000 immigration arrests.
  • So far in 2026, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office covering Florida reported nearly 10,000 arrests.

The players

Jerry Demings

The mayor of Orange County, Florida, who has alleged that federal immigration authorities have been transporting detained migrants 'around town' before rebooking them into local jails.

Ron DeSantis

The governor of Florida, who has overseen one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement systems in the country.

Grady Judd

The sheriff of Polk County, Florida, and a member of the State Immigration Enforcement Council, who has warned that enforcement may be affecting people without criminal records.

Ciro Dominguez

The police chief of Naples, Florida, who has argued that immigration enforcement is 'hurting people who are not the target of this.'

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What they’re saying

“They're not violating the law, and they're living the American dream.”

— Grady Judd, Polk County Sheriff

“It's too wide a net. It's hurting people who are not the target of this.”

— Ciro Dominguez, Naples Police Chief

What’s next

The allegations will likely prompt further scrutiny of Florida's immigration enforcement practices, with potential legal challenges and calls for reform from both Republican and Democratic officials.

The takeaway

The reported tactics used by federal immigration authorities in Florida raise serious concerns about the state's aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, which appears to be straining local resources and drawing criticism even from within the Republican party.