Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is demanding that Tampa Mayor Jane Castor immediately reverse sanctuary policies that she allegedly imposed on local police, according to a March 11 letter he sent to her office.

Uthmeier accuses Castor of hindering coordination efforts between the Tampa Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while threatening civil penalties and removal from office if she does not comply.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, Castor said “the City of Tampa will review the concerns raised and evaluate our policies and procedures to ensure that we use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.”

When asked about the policies that Uthmeier demanded be reversed, the Tampa Police Department referred to the mayor’s statement.

In the letter to Castor, Uthmeier said his office recently became aware of Tampa Police Department policies that affect the city’s 287(g) agreement with ICE and violate several state laws.

Under Section 287(g) of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, ICE can sign agreements with state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies outlining areas of cooperation.

The city policy in question “effectively establishes a sanctuary policy,” according to Uthmeier’s letter.

Under Florida law, local government entities and law enforcement agencies are prohibited from adopting or having in effect any sanctuary policies, which are further defined by the state as a “law, policy, practice, procedure, or custom ... that prohibits or impedes” state or local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

“Not only does state law clearly ban ‘sanctuary policies,’” Uthmeier wrote, it also requires state and local jurisdictions to use “best efforts” to support enforcement of immigration law.

The Sunshine State currently leads the nation in 287(g) agreements with 344 participating agencies.

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced a tenfold increase in 287(g) agreements under President Donald Trump. At the end of the Biden administration, 135 such partnerships existed, but that amount soared to more than 1,400 in Trump’s first year.

Meanwhile, Democrat-led states, including New Mexico, Maine, and Maryland, have recently banned local law enforcement agencies from executing 287(g) agreements. A total of nine states have banned such partnerships, with potentially more to come.

Back in Tampa, the Florida attorney general accuses the mayor of adopting policies that prevent officers from sharing information with immigration authorities regarding victims or witnesses of a crime, including whether they have lawful status.

Tampa police support these policies because they don’t want illegal immigrants to be concerned with immigration consequences when they cooperate with law enforcement, Uthmeier said.

“But we want illegal aliens to fear immigration consequences to the extent they are here unlawfully,” the letter reads. “These sorts of policies that flout our Nation’s immigration laws positively contribute to the mass influx of illegal aliens that Florida has experienced.”

Furthermore, Uthmeier said the policies restrict Tampa officers from engaging in “broad-based” immigration enforcement actions, which the Florida attorney general calls “ambiguous” and a violation of the state’s “best effort” test.

Uthmeier demanded that Castor direct the reversal of these policies no later than March 31.

Failure to do so could result in civil penalties or removal from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Uthmeier said.

“You must do better,” Uthmeier wrote to Castor. “The Mayor of Tampa and [the Tampa police] should prioritize Americans’ safety over the comfort of illegal criminal aliens who have no right to be here in the first place.”