FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The Trump administration is preparing to move hundreds of migrants from overcrowded camps along the U.S. border to Broward and Palm Beach counties, local officials said Thursday.
Broward Mayor Mark Bogen and Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said they were told to expect about two planeloads of migrants each week, starting in about two weeks. The 270 weekly passengers _ about 1,000 each month _ would be split, with half going to Palm Beach County and half to Broward.
"I asked if there was an end date to this and they said no," Bradshaw said in a news conference Thursday afternoon.
He said the number of migrants his county wants to accommodate is "zero." Both counties have significant homeless populations and full shelters.
"Every day we're watching our border right here, which is the ocean," Bradshaw said. "We spend a lot of time to make sure people don't come in to South Florida illegally."
The news came as a surprise to local officials, who said they reached out to Florida's two Republican senators, the Republican governor and other members of the federal delegation and were told no one had been advised by the Trump administration.
Late Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis still had made no public statement about the situation.
Bradshaw said the chief of the Miami border patrol office told him earlier this week. Bogen said Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony also was advised by border patrol.
Sheriff Tony and the Broward Sheriff's Office did not respond to inquiries Thursday about the possible influx.
The federal government would offer no money or help to house the people, officials said.
Bradshaw said he was told the migrants are families who came from El Paso, Texas. They do not face charges, and will be released after they're processed by border patrol, he said. They'll be given notices to appear at immigration hearings. It was unclear how the federal government would keep track of the people.
Bogen said nonprofits, businesses and charities would be asked to take people in.
"We're going to try," Bogen said.
The 270 weekly passengers will be processed at U.S. Customs and Border Protection Offices in the two counties _ in Dania Beach and in Riviera Beach.
Bogen called the idea "irresponsible" and said the undocumented immigrants could become homeless in South Florida.
If so, Bogen said, "I would suggest that we bring them to the Trump hotels and ask the president to open his heart and home as well."
The Trump administration confirmed in mid-April that it was exploring ways to send undocumented migrants to "sanctuary cities" _ cities seen as flouting U.S. immigration law to protect people from deportation.
Broward and Palm Beach counties are both Democratic strongholds. Neither considers itself a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh alleged in a recent radio program that the South Florida counties have sanctuary policies protecting the undocumented.
In an April 12 Tweet, the president said, "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only ... "
The Florida Legislature recently passed a bill banning sanctuary cities. All state agencies and local governments would be required to respond to detainer requests from federal immigration enforcement officials of suspected illegal immigrants in their custody. DeSantis has said he supports such a ban but has not yet signed the bill.
Sanctuary policies have been a political lightning rod throughout the country in recent years. Ten states have passed laws favoring them, and nine have adopted laws to restrict them or ban them, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Both Broward and Palm Beach counties stopped honoring immigration detention requests involving inmates after a 2014 court ruling. That ruling said jails would be violating inmates' civil rights if they held them beyond their release dates without a signed judge's order.
It's unclear whether that policy changed under the newly appointed sheriff, Tony. The sheriff's office did not respond to two emailed inquiries about the agency's approach.
In September, Bradshaw pledged his agency would cooperate with federal immigration agents. "We have not been, are presently not and will not be a sanctuary county as far as law enforcement is concerned as long as I am the sheriff," Bradshaw said.
Last year, Broward County commissioners declared the county was "inclusive and welcoming" to all, "irrespective of race, religion, ethnicity or national origin." But wording about Broward being a "refuge" was removed from the resolution because of concerns the Trump administration would deem Broward a "sanctuary county" for illegal immigrants and withhold federal funds.
The influx of immigrants could overwhelm a community already grappling with a growing homeless population. Broward officials said homeless shelters are full. The latest homeless census found the numbers on the incline. And this year, the number of homeless children in Broward County's school system reached 4,479, the highest number ever, according to the county.
As border crossings surge, the U.S. government has begun moving migrants out of the border camps to be processed elsewhere. The Associated Press reported Monday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was taking the rare step of flying migrants to less crowded locations for processing. According to the AP, the flights are managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a cost of $6,000 each.
Busloads of migrants were moved to Denver earlier this week, where they were welcomed by local officials. Several churches volunteered to provide shelter, according to the AP.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, is building six tent cities near the border to house migrants, NBC News reported Wednesday.
