Local police should protect, not police immigration | Rev. Marta Fioriti

As a minister of Justice and Development at the United Church in Gainesville, I spend much of my time thinking about what it means to build a community rooted in justice, compassion, and human dignity.

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That is why I am concerned about the role of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement. Many Alachua County residents are familiar with the federal 287(g) program, under which selected local law-enforcement officers may be authorized to perform certain immigration-enforcement functions under the direction of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Here in Alachua County, that authority has been granted through an agreement with the Sheriff’s Office.

Some have described this approach as a “show me your papers” policy. I oppose expanding it into local policing.

This is not because I believe laws do not matter. They do. But people matter, too, and public safety depends on trust between a community and the people sworn to protect it.

Our faith teaches that every human being possesses inherent dignity. Scripture calls us to welcome the stranger, defend the vulnerable, and do justice.

Those teachings raise an important question: What happens when someone sees a police officer and wonders, “Is this officer here to protect me, or to determine whether I have the right papers?”

What happens when a mother is afraid to report domestic violence? When a witness hesitates to cooperate with an investigation? When a victim fears that asking for help could put a family member at risk?

Fear can keep people from contacting law enforcement when they need protection. It can discourage witnesses from coming forward. And when people believe that seeking help may expose them or their families to immigration consequences, the entire community can suffer.

Local police should be able to build relationships of trust with the people they serve. Those relationships are essential to community safety. When residents are afraid to approach law enforcement, that trust becomes harder to maintain.

We cannot control every immigration decision made in Tallahassee or Washington. But we can decide what role our local institutions should play and what kind of community we want Gainesville to be.

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I believe Gainesville should be a place where people can turn to local law enforcement when they are victims of crime, witnesses to wrongdoing, or simply in need of help.

That means we should carefully consider where local policing ends and federal immigration enforcement begins.

There is a meaningful difference between enforcing laws that protect our community and creating circumstances in which our neighbors are afraid to seek protection from the people sworn to provide it.

As a person of faith, I believe our response should be guided not only by what we are legally permitted to do, but also by the values we want our community to embody.

Do we want Gainesville to be a place where someone’s first encounter with the police begins with, “Show me your papers?”

Or do we want it to be a place where the first question is:

“How can I help you?”

For me, that is what justice and mercy look like. And it is the kind of community our faith calls us to build.

– Rev. Dr. Marta Fioriti (she/her) is Minister of Justice and Development at United Church of Gainesville.

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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Local police should protect, not police immigration | Rev. Marta Fioriti

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Reporting by Rev. Dr. Marta Fioriti, Guest column / The Gainesville Sun

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM.