Sanctuary County Status Ill-Advised, Hillsborough Commissioner Says

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Hillsborough County will not declare itself a “sanctuary county,” potentially setting itself up to lose federal funding, if Commissioner Stacy White has any say in the matter.

And, he does, to an extent.

White, who serves as the chairman of the Hillsborough County Commission, issued a memo to fellow commissioners on Thursday stating his position on the issue. That memo was fired off just one day after the Hillsborough County Diversity Council voted in favor of recommending the county take steps to study the possibility of proclaiming itself a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.

“I have studied the issue and would like to express that I am deeply opposed to designating Hillsborough County as a sanctuary county for a host of reasons,” White wrote in the memo, which Patch has obtained.

White said he is adamantly opposed to supporting anything that would make Hillsborough County “anything less than a county that respects and follows the rule of law.” Immigration policy and enforcement, he said, falls within the scope of the federal government. “I have no desire to see Hillsborough County defy or obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

Complicating matters, White pointed out that taking steps to defy federal immigration laws could put the county in a precarious position should President Donald Trump pursue pulling federal grant funding from local jurisdictions that serve as sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.

Last month, Trump signed an executive order to withhold federal funds to those local governments that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

Sanctuary cities and counties are called that because they offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants, refusing to turn them over to federal officials for deportation. Most sanctuary cities and counties have also passed laws preventing employees from even turning over information to immigration officials.

White said he has no intention of bringing the advisory council’s recommendation up before the commission for discussion. He did, however, say that individual commissioners “are not precluded from addressing this issue through various pathways.”

It is unclear if any members of Hillsborough’s board support the idea of declaring sanctuary status.

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