WASHINGTON (WFLA) — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd was one of 12 sheriffs who met with President Donald Trump in Washington this week.
President Trump welcomed the members of the National Sheriffs Association to the White House Tuesday for a roundtable.
During the discussion, President Trump reiterated his support for law enforcement throughout the country and said his administration will reverse previous restrictions on providing military surplus equipment to sheriff’s office and police departments.
He also told them tough law and order principles are needed to crack down on illegal drug distributors.
“We’re taking the fight to the drug dealers and drug pushers which frankly, I think, is the number one way we’re going to stop drugs,” President Trump said.
“We can form all of the blue-ribbon committees in the world but the way you’re gonna stop it is you folks with strong, really, law and order when it comes to the drugs and the drug pushers, the drug dealers,” he added. “That’s the way it’s gonna stop.”
President Trump also brought up his immigration reform platform and talked about ending the visa lottery.
“We’ll see what happens with DACA. But we want securing the border and a wall, ending chain migration and canceling the visa lottery,” the president said. “I think you all agree. Anybody in favor of the lottery where you pick it out and you say ‘Good, we have a new United States citizen’ doesn’t work. And they’re not giving us their finest, that we can tell you.”
Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced a new agreement with several Florida law enforcement agencies aimed at preventing criminal aliens from being released back into communities. The agreement allows ICE to contract with local law enforcement to house illegal aliens until federal officials can pick them up.
Sheriff Judd was at the news conference with ICE officials, representing one of the sheriff’s office that would be working with the federal agency.
“We will be able to hold illegal criminal aliens accountable according to the law of this land,” Sheriff Judd said back in January. “We will be able to rid our counties and this country of those who illegally come here and victimize the people of the United States.”
