Florida Atlantic University’s campus police department will cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a program known as 287(g).
As the ICE website describes it, the program “enhances the safety and security of our nation’s communities by allowing ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the U.S.”
Criticism, however, has come from both the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union and the right-leaning Cato Institute. A 2018 Cato analysis found no link between 287(g) and crime reduction. The Obama administration scaled back the program after finding that local law enforcement officials had repeatedly violated the Constitution.
But in February, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that compels state and local agencies to sign agreements with ICE. In a statement, FAU said, “We are simply following guidance from the [executive order.]” The statement went on, “Our agreement is still pending, and we do not know when or if the agreement will be approved by ICE.”
As FAU weighs its involvement with ICE, it’s worth noting that President Adam Hasner has ties to the GEO group, a Boca Raton-based private prison and detention company. Prior to his selection as the university’s president in February, he worked as the company’s executive vice president.
According to The New York Times, GEO Group has developed a new, lucrative revenue stream: digital tools to surveil immigrants. The contract was worth $350 million last year, and the Times reports that the company’s profit margin on the program was about 50%.
If the agreement aligns at all with the executive order, FAU’s campus police will have broad powers, such as:
- Police departments can investigate “any suspected alien or person believed to be an alien as to their right to be in the United States. If they are found to be in violation of proper immigration status, they will be further detained and processed for state or federal criminal offenses.”
- They also can “deliver detained illegal immigrants, without any unnecessary delays, for examination by immigration enforcement authorities for further screening” and “be authorized to administer oaths and to take and consider evidence to complete required alien processing to include fingerprinting, photographing, and interviewing, as well as the preparation of affidavits and the taking of sworn statements for ICE supervisory review.” They can make “felony arrests.”
- According to its presentation last year to the Board of Governors, FAU has roughly 2,000 “nonresident alien” students. Visas already have been revoked at several state campuses, including the University of Florida. Eighteen students at Florida International University have been deported, creating what one news report called “a climate of fear.”
- Many of these deportations have resulted not from accusations of violence but of participation in certain rallies, most notably opposition to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Homeland Security agents last month detained a student at Tufts University in suburban Boston, even though an internal State Department memo had found no grounds to revoke her visa.
I’ve heard that faculty in Florida are nervous about the 287(g) agreements because agents could question teachers about their students. I’ll have more as events warrant.
FAU improves in graduate program rankings
FAU officials last week touted improvements by graduate programs in the new U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Most notably, the education program rose to 90th from 107th. The medical school went from 97th to 27th in the number of graduates practicing in underserved areas. The Board of Governors, which oversees the public university system, has made clear that the rankings are a state priority.
Boca Raton City Manager announces retirement
Boca Raton is looking for a new city manager.
George Brown announced during last week’s city council meeting that he will retire at the end of this year. As Brown told me last week, he promised to serve “at least two years” when he took over for Leif Ahnell in November 2023. At 73, Brown and the council saw him as a “transitional leader.” Ahnell had held the position for 25 years.
Under the schedule Brown laid out, the search will begin this week. Council members will get an update on June 9 and can decide if the pool of applicants is sufficient. Interviews with finalists would take place in August, with the council choosing Brown’s successor at the end of that month. The goal would be to approve a contract in September.
Though Brown still would have roughly two months until retirement, “Realistically,” he said, “it probably would be until November” before someone hired from outside the city could move and be in place to start.
Boca Raton, though, has a history of promoting from within. No outsider has been named manager since Robert LaSala in 1989. Donna Dreska, Ahnell and Brown all came up through the ranks.
With James Zervis’ recent promotion, Boca Raton has four deputy city managers: Chrissy Gibson, Andrew Luasik, Jorge Camejo and Zervis. Council members spoke often about the need for a “succession plan” after Ahnell. It would surprise me if the council went outside this time.
Brown said he will be available. After 42 years with the city, “I’m not disconnecting.”
Driver of ladder truck in Brightline collision fired
Delray Beach has fired the man who drove a ladder truck around closed gates and into the path of a Brightline train.
City Manager Terrence Moore emailed the decision to city commissioners last week. Though David Wyatt received only a non-criminal citation from the sheriff’s office, Moore said, “While I acknowledge that anyone is capable of making a mistake, this incident revealed a pattern of carelessness and poor judgment that went beyond an isolated error.”
A post-collision investigation found that Wyatt’s license had been suspended in 2023. That punishment resulted from an off-duty accident in the city. The police department is investigating whether Wyatt got favorable treatment.
Moore called the Dec. 28 collision “more than a traffic incident. It was a moment that tested the integrity of our public safety systems and shook the confidence of the community we serve. From the outset, I understood the gravity of what occurred—not only in terms of the immediate damage but in how it could undermine our residents’ faith in the men and women entrusted with protecting them.” Of the other two men on the truck, one was returned to regular duty in February. The other retired.
A union representative said last week that Wyatt, who has worked for the fire department since 2002, did not receive prompt notice of his firing. Moore denied that claim. Wyatt has 10 days to appeal the decision.
Pride Festival returning to Delray
Delray Beach will continue to sponsor the annual Pride Festival and Concert.
City commissioners made the decision last week after Commissioner Juli Casale pushed for eliminating public support. Casale claimed that, given the anti-LGBTQ posture of DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature, continued support could hurt Delray Beach’s chances for state money. “People are watching.”
Commissioner Rob Long responded, “I’m deeply disappointed that we’re even having this discussion. It sends the wrong message.” Delray Beach, Long said, has touted its “equitable treatment” of all groups. Commissioner Angela Burns added, “I couldn’t say it any better.”
Casale implied that the city’s lobbyist had cautioned against sponsorship of the event. In an email to commissioners, though, Mat Forrest said, “To be clear, I have no opinion on what events the city should or should not sponsor.”
Forrest acknowledged that Tallahassee “will not support organizations that it feels are using funds to support” activities that are “inconsistent” with state policy. But he also said, “I also think the city is free to sponsor any event that it feels is consistent with the policies of Delray Beach, even if it might impact the allocation of state funds to the city.”
Wider discussion may continue. Mayor Tom Carney suggested that the city should look at all 21 sponsored events “to determine what should be funded.”
Delray’s police contract dispute continues
Delray Beach’s police contract dispute could go to arbitration on May 16.
The union has declared an impasse. City Attorney Lynn Gelin said last week that the city’s latest offer would raise starting salaries to $72,000 for officers with a two-year degree and $75,000 for those with a four-year degree. Those numbers, Gelin said, are more than the union proposed.
But the sticking point remains how long officers could stay with the department after entering the state retirement system. That, of course, affects more senior officers.
If mediation fails to resolve the dispute, the city could impose a contract. But those terms would last only until Sept. 30, the end of the budget year. The previous three-year contract expired on that date last year.
Several speakers at last week’s meeting urged commissioners to meet the union’s demands. They noted that three officers quit last week for better-paying agencies.
Boca Council approves new mixed use project, vertiports, and appeal for new ER
The Boca Raton City Council last week approved the redo of a mixed-use project at 791 Park of Commerce Blvd. It will replace part of an office building with a floor offering recreational activities such as mini-golf and a climbing wall. Approval was unanimous.
In other action, the council allowed the use of “vertiports”—facilities that allow for vertical takeoffs of aircraft. Several locations in the city would qualify, but the only site mentioned thus far is one near the Boca Raton Airport.
And the council granted the appeal of a planning and zoning board decision to allow a free-standing emergency room near the Boca Raton Innovation Campus. Council members urged the applicant to strike a compromise with neighbors who said the project would cause traffic problems.
A look at past local plane crashes
Friday’s tragic airplane crash in Boca Raton that killed three people took me back to November 1985.
I was managing editor of The Palm Beach Post. Just after 8 on a Saturday morning, a twin-engine plane crashed into Boca Bath & Tennis Club just after takeoff. Six people were killed. Remarkably, no one on the ground was hurt. The plane clipped the corner of a pool fence. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane was 600 pounds over its maximum weight; the six men had been bound for a day of scuba diving in the Bahamas.
In 2000, a private jet collided with an aerobatic plane that had taken off from Pompano Beach Airpark. Investigators determined that the cause was pilot error. Four people died.
The cause of Friday’s chase is still under investigation by the NTSB; the three people killed were Boca Raton and Delray Beach residents.
