Following reports during Hurricane Harvey that undocumented immigrants stayed at home for fear of being deported, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos Giménez has announced in a briefing that no one will be asked for identification when entering a shelter.
The county is ensuring that everyone unable to evacuate is accommodated in the several hurricane shelters, Fortune reports.
The Mayor said, “Everybody who needs shelter in Miami-Dade County is welcome, and you should do so without any fear of any repercussions” as Hurricane Irma moves towards Florida.
The announcement will come as a huge relief to the approximately 55,000 undocumented immigrants living in Miami.
The Department of Homeland Security said it will not conduct non-criminal immigration enforcement operations in the affected area, but personnel would be deployed to help in the aftermath of the storm, Miami herald reports.
However, the Polk County Sheriff is taking a different turn from that of Miami-Dade’s. The Sheriff warned through the Department’s Twitter page that law enforcement officials would be checking IDs at every shelter to “turn away sexual predators.” “if you have a warrant, turn yourself into [sic.] the jail – it’s a secure shelter,” he added.
If you go to a shelter for #Irma and you have a warrant, we'll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail https://t.co/Qj5GX9XQBi
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) September 6, 2017
