During a mayoral debate last Tuesday, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch incorrectly said that the city’s partnership with federal immigration authorities was mandatory.
This misconception was circulated by officials in Pinellas County last year after Sheriff Bob Gualtieri gave local police chiefs confusing instructions that threatened removal from office for anyone who didn’t “do certain things” to assist the feds.
The debate, hosted by St. Petersburg’s NAACP chapter, included a question submitted online about the police department’s 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agreement deputizes certain local police to conduct some ICE duties, like arresting individuals on immigration warrants at traffic stops…