In Florida, a sheriff is taking a stand against illegal immigration by making a forceful statement directed at individuals who are residing in the state unlawfully in anticipation of President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
Sheriff Grady Judd delivered a strong message, saying, “And I leave with this message: ‘Southbound and down.’ Do it yourself. You can self-deport and avoid a lot of prison sentence, but it’s time. Southbound and down,” at a press conference on Wednesday.Â
Joined by Governor Ron DeSantis and various local and state officials, Grady conducted the press conference in Winter Haven to address strategies for addressing the issue of illegal immigration.
Judd said a crackdown on illegal immigration would help reduce crime.
Then-President Trump greets Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during a campaign rally on Oct. 31, 2018, in Estero, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
DeSantis scheduled a special session to begin the week after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration to fund efforts to address illegal immigration, including detention and relocation. The governor has said the state must work to support Trump’s promises to tackle illegal immigration and ensure that “we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump thanked DeSantis for calling a special session, saying “hopefully other Governors will follow!”
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
