MIAMI – Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Tuesday that he is not pivoting from Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump’s line on a mass deportation of immigrants but is instead proposing ideas for a “path forward” for people with no criminal history who are bettering their communities.

Judd was speaking at a press event convened to address his statements from a State Immigration Enforcement Council meeting on Monday, where he and other law enforcement officers voiced a desire to end deportations for immigrants who are in the country without documentation, but who contribute to society and the economy.

He also declared his appreciation for his department’s work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I want to make it abundantly clear that we and Florida law enforcement support and endorse ICE,” Judd said Tuesday.

Seventy-six percent of the immigration detainers placed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office have been tied to criminal charges, he stated.

Since August, the agency has encountered 823 people suspected of being in the country illegally, according to a state enforcement dashboard.

“But when it comes to immigration, one size doesn’t fit all,” Judd said.

As an example, he described a case with a 40-year-old woman who was brought to the U.S. illegally as a teenager by her parents.

“She’s married to an American. She works. She doesn’t violate the law. She has no criminal history,” Judd said. “She’s adding to society. That’s not the problem person.”

Judd did not label the “path forward” as amnesty. But he argued that a path would allow law enforcement to narrow their focus on their primary targets: criminals, those with warrants of deportation, and individuals who are here “creating havoc and problems.”

Judd said immigrants would need to face some sort of penalty, like a fine, for entering the country illegally. They will also need to learn English and there must be “evidence of positive community integration into our society”.

He noted that, with an estimated 18 million undocumented immigrants in the country, the current system cannot realistically process everyone.

“All we’re doing is setting priorities and giving an exit ramp to those who came here inappropriately and illegally, but to enjoy the American dream.”

Just hours earlier, Attorney General James Uthmeier said that he would not support this stance.

“If people are here illegally, then they are breaking the law, and we are going to enforce it,” he said.

It’s up to Congress to solve this, Judd said, adding that his job is only to give input.

“Put down your steak knives that y’all used to slash each other with and pick up your warm heart and do what’s right,” he said.

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