FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Emergency Fort Myers City Council Meeting is now underway.
Our FOX 4 Crew is there live, you can watch below.
On Monday, in a fiery and emotional city council meeting, three council members voted against an agreement that would allow Fort Myers Police Officers to be trained by ICE agents and authorize them to perform immigration enforcement.
Council members Diana Giraldo, Darla Bonk and Terolyn Watson voted against a proposed agreement where agents with ICE would train FMPD officers to perform immigration enforcement activities.
All 67 Florida Sheriffs have signed on to the agreement.
But Fort Myers is the first local government not to sign on.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that Fort Myers will enter into an agreement with ICE or he’s prepared to intervene and suspend elected officials from office.
“Now, if these local governments are not being part of the solution we’ve got a lot of tools, including suspension of office, that we can do,” DeSantis said.
Congressman Byron Donalds, whose district includes Fort Myers, has called for the three members who voted against the agreement to be removed from office.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote a letter to the city saying the city council violated state law with the vote.
Wednesday night, Ft Myers Ward 6 City Council member Darla Bonk confirmed to a community meeting audience that death threats were received, following the split vote.
Council member Bonk said the police chief has increased patrols in the neighborhood where she lives, as well as the neighborhoods of two other council members, Diana Giraldo and Teresa Watkins-Brown.
Council member Bonk said she understands the city is under a microscope, and she said she owns that consequence.
