ORANGE PARK — The Town of Orange Park will begin cracking down on illegal immigrants per an agreement approved on Tuesday.

In a 3-1 vote, council members ultimately made the decision to allow the Orange Park Police Department to start working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to perform immigration enforcement within the town. 

What Mayor Randy Anderson called a tough decision caused intense input from local residents, specifically concerning the practical and financial repercussions that could follow. 

Orange Park Chief of Police Randy Case said that currently the town holds no legal authority to take action regarding those who are undocumented. The person is held with a warrant for approximately 30 minutes on the scene while ICE is called. If the federal agency chooses not to take action, Case said the department has to release the person.

Although a rare occurrence, he said it’s important to have a deal in place. 

“An agreement like this would put a few of our officers in a position to act appropriately and to affect something if we come across one of those warrants,” Case told the council.

The deal remains in effect until either party terminates it.  

Clay Today previously reported that per the agreement, ICE will pay for training of the officers; however, the Town would fund the rest of the program. 

“All of this is at the cost to the Town,” one resident said. ”ICE has no financial responsibilities to the Town under this proposed MOA other than travel expenses.”

The resident also proposed that taking one or more officers off the street to comply with ICE calls could potentially put residents at risk.

“This will negatively impact the safety and wellbeing of our residents,” the resident said. 

Case reassured council and residents that this is not the case. He said that he has the ability as chief to manage the agreement and monitor any costs that may come with it and potentially affect the department's budget.

 He also added the police department will not be “on the hunt,” but rather focusing on taking action if they come across someone who already has a warrant — whether on a call, during a traffic stop or at a crime scene.

“I also completely understand that people have concerns where you have an immigrant family in the town. Our police department's not going to be involved in door-to-door searches for illegal immigrants,” Case said. 

Another resident voiced their opinion on the economic consequences it could have. One of their friends, who was here on a Permanent Resident Card, was a resident of Orange Park. He recently decided to leave due to fears of uncertainty and safety.

“He self-deported himself back to Colombia,” he said. ”He pulled all of those dollars out of our community. He didn’t feel safe here. His car is sitting on the streets here in Orange Park waiting to be repossessed.” 

Most council were in support of the agreement, claiming they believe the police department will uphold its integrity. 

Councilman Kenneth Vogel disagreed with the deal, saying that he thinks the department can be doing other things instead of getting involved in politics and human rights issues.

Overall, the final vote Tuesday left some with a fit of anger toward the town.

“You’re ruining your relationship you have between the police and the community," one said as they stormed out. "You did it right here tonight.”