Florida Rep. Berny Jacques is defending his proposed legislation, the Shane Jones Act, which would fine law enforcement agencies up to $10,000 for failing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and direct that money to families of Floridians killed by non-citizens.
Filed ahead of the 2026 legislative session, House Bill 229 aims to hold local governments accountable for not enforcing immigration laws. The measure creates a compensation fund for victims of crimes involving undocumented immigrants and establishes penalties for agencies that don’t comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under 287(g) partnership agreements.
Note: 287(g) agreements allow local authorities to enforce immigration under the supervision of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The proposed bill’s name is derived from Shane Jones, a Florida man killed in a traffic crash involving an undocumented immigrant. His widow, Nikki Jones, has advocated for the proposal and appeared alongside Jacques during an Oct. 23 Fox News program.
In an interview with Poliverse, Jacques said the legislation does not impose new mandates on local law enforcement but reinforces existing law. “It’s already the law for sheriffs to participate in the 287(g) program,” he said. “This bill simply adds an enforcement mechanism if they violate that law.”
When asked about concerns that the measure could burden smaller agencies or erode local control, Jacques asserted that “If they comply with the law, they won’t have to worry about costly lawsuits. The lawsuits are only successful if they fail to cooperate with immigration enforcement.”
“This is not about symbolic justice – it’s about real justice for people and families harmed by sanctuary policies,” he said. “This measure will prevent future tragedies by serving as a deterrent; agencies will make sure they’re in compliance with our immigration enforcement laws in order to avoid the strong financial penalties.”