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Atlantic Beach approves MOA to participate in ICE task-force model despite public concerns
Summary
The City Commission adopted Resolution 25-42 to participate in a task-force memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Supporters called it a limited operational tool for detainers and training; critics and public commenters warned of profiling, due-process risks and liability.
The Atlantic Beach City Commission voted to approve Resolution 25-42 on June 9, 2025, authorizing the city to enter into a memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a task-force model that would allow local officers to work directly with ICE agents.
Chief of Police Dave Galila told the commission the agreement provides a training program and a narrowly scoped task-force option that can help local officers address cases involving federal detainers when there are no local charges. “I think this will be a good tool for officers to use,” Galila said, noting that roughly 125 Florida police departments have signed similar MOAs and that federal provisions can provide tort-claim coverage for participating personnel.
Supporters described the MOA as a limited operational option. Commissioner Jessica Ring moved to approve the resolution; Mayor Curtis Ford seconded the motion. The resolution passed in a recorded vote after public discussion.
Opponents, including several public commenters earlier in the meeting, urged the commission to reconsider. Resident Elliot Zisser said Atlantic Beach did not “need or benefit from an association with somebody with some organization like ICE,” and warned of potential liability and civil-rights harms. During the debate, Commissioner Candace Kelly said she opposed bringing the MOA to the town, invoking constitutional and due-process concerns: “I swore to uphold the Constitution … I don't want this in our town,” she said.
Commissioners and the city attorney addressed enforcement and civil-rights safeguards in the agreement. The city attorney pointed to a provision in the MOA that binds participating law-enforcement personnel to federal civil-rights statutes and standards and noted that federal and state law remain applicable. Galila emphasized that the city would not use the MOA to mount sweeps or quota-driven enforcement: “I don't envision us doing anything that looks like a sweep,” he said. He described the MOA as a tool to follow up on specific detainers or federal investigative leads.
The commission’s action directs staff to execute documents necessary to participate under the task-force model. The city attorney also reminded commissioners the agreement can be terminated by either party under its terms. The commission did not direct additional policy restrictions beyond the MOA’s built-in standards; commissioners asked staff to monitor implementation and to return if issues arise.
What happens next: staff will finalize and execute the MOA and provide the commission with implementation details and training schedules; the council retains the right to terminate participation if future issues occur.
