A Florida sheriff who is cracking down on illegal immigration made a bold statement to the state's illegal immigrants ahead of President-elect Trump's inauguration.
"I left with this message: 'Southbound and down.' You can self-deport and avoid a lot of jail time, but now is the time." Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release Wednesday said at the press conference.
Grady joined Gov. Ron DeSantis and several other local and state officials at a news conference in Winter Haven to discuss efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
Judd said cracking down on illegal immigration would help reduce crime.
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Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd (Polk County Sheriff's Office)
"Florida needs to set an example for other states and support President (Trump) in rooting out these criminals who are harming our people," Judd said.
During the press conference, Judd also shared several specific cases of crimes involving illegal immigrants, including murders, DUI manslaughter and organized theft rings.
DeSantis echoed Judd's sentiments and said he believed a second Trump administration would take swift action against the outgoing Biden administration's immigration policies.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has vowed to help President-elect Trump crack down on illegal immigration. (Getty Images)
“We in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission,” DeSantis said. “The mission is simple: We need to end the illegal immigration crisis in the United States of America once and for all.”
Florida has sued the Biden administration multiple times, including alleging its "unlawful" catch-and-release policy at the southern border and, more recently, its alleged refusal to help the state purge non-citizens from its voter rolls in the 2024 election.
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On October 31, 2018, then-President Trump greeted Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis at a campaign rally in Estero, Florida. (Joe Reddell/Getty Images)
DeSantis plans to hold a special session a week after Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration to fund efforts to address illegal immigration, including detention and resettlement. The governor said the state must work to support Trump's pledge to address illegal immigration and ensure "we don't have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally."
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Trump published an article in "Truth Social" on Tuesday, thanking DeSantis for calling the special session and saying "I hope other governors will follow suit!"
Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a contributor for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com