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The Florida Highway Patrol is the first state agency in the nation where nearly every trooper is now trained to enforce federal immigration law
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It's part of the 287G program created in the 1996 Immigration Reform Act, which lets state officers work under ICE supervision
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State officials say more than 1,700 of the state's 1,800 troopers are now credentialed as designated immigration officers
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Since March, they've helped lead more than 3,500 detentions. The program allows troopers to check immigration status during routine traffic stops
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The Wall Street Journal ride-along in Palm Beach County showed how it plays out
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Troopers pulled over vehicles for violations while ICE agents checked federal databases
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That day, about two dozen people were detained and two briefly escaped before one was later caught
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Supporters call it a whole-of-government tool that removes immigrants with criminal records
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But critics, including the ACLU, warn it could open the door to racial profiling and civil rights abuses
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Advocacy groups are reminding immigrants of their rights, including the right to remain silent
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and to refuse entry to officers without a judge's warrant. Florida has poured nearly $300 billion into immigration enforcement
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even opened a detention center in the Everglades. though a federal judge has ordered parts of that facility dismantled
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State leaders say they're pressing ahead and hope the model spreads to other states
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