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Council approves memorandum of agreement with ICE after hours of public comment
Summary
After more than two hours of public comment and prolonged council questioning of police leadership and legal staff, the Fort Myers City Council approved a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that will allow specially trained Fort Myers officers to perform limited immigration‑related functions; the measure passed 4‑3.
Fort Myers City Council approved a memorandum of agreement between the Fort Myers Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after lengthy public comment and Council discussion.
Residents filled the podium during the public comment period to oppose the MOA, warning it would chill community cooperation with police and lead to racial profiling. "This memorandum gives local law enforcement unchecked power to detain people on assumptions," said Megan Emery, a downtown hospitality worker, during the public comment period. Several speakers urged the council to reject the MOA to protect immigrant trust and preserve reporting of crimes.
During council discussion, Police Chief Jason Fields and City Attorney Grant Alley fielded detailed questions about training, selection criteria for officers who will participate, the authority to arrest for immigration violations, and legal liability. Chief Fields said the agreement is intended to allow trained officers to process individuals when ICE cannot respond, and that participation would be limited to selected officers with federal clearances: "We would most likely...formulate...coverage 24/7 across all four shifts — it wouldn't be the whole agency," he said. City Attorney Alley explained that approved officers would receive certain federal immunities and that the agreement does not on its face violate the city charter.
Several council members described the decision as difficult. Councilmember Fred Berson, who moved to approve the MOA, argued the agreement will support public safety and enable the department to process individuals when federal partners are delayed. Opponents pushed for more safeguards and suggested postponing the vote to a workshop. The motion carried on a roll call vote recorded as 4 yes, 3 no.
Council members who voted in favor said the agreement is procedural and focused on processing, not a directive to create a new enforcement task force. Critics called for strict data collection and oversight to detect any pattern of discriminatory stops or other abuses. The council asked staff to track outcomes and return with any recommended policy adjustments.
The council did not set a sunset date in the motion; implementation details and training plans were left to FMPD and federal partners, and councilmembers requested regular reporting to the city.
