08/24/2026
Every second and fourth Sunday, people gather outside the Broward Transitional Center (BTC) in Pompano Beach for a Freedom Vigil.
Photos by JóseMejia
This is not simply a vigil outside a detention center. It is a place where Floridians can see the consequences of a much larger immigration enforcement system taking shape across the state.
BTC is an ICE detention facility operated by GEO Group with a listed capacity of 700 people. It is one of Florida’s major immigration detention facilities .
At the same time, Florida has become a national center of cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE through 287(g) Agreement.
Under 287(g), ICE can delegate certain immigration-enforcement functions to state and local law enforcement officers. In Florida, all 67 counties have entered into 287(g) agreements, while additional state and local agencies have joined the program.
That means immigration enforcement can reach people during traffic stops, in county jails, and throughout communities across Florida.
And the scale is significant nearly 39,000 immigrants were arrested in Florida between January 20, 2025 and March 11, 2026, more than triple the number during a comparable period under the previous administration.
That is why showing up at BTC matters.
For people in Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach and communities throughout Florida this is an opportunity to stand with families who may be directly affected by detention and deportation, to witness what is happening, and to make sure the people held inside are not forgotten.
The Freedom Vigil takes place every second and fourth Sunday outside the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach.
Organized by Palm Beach Indivisibles Joyful Resistance South Florida The Workers Circle
📍 Broward Transitional Center
3900 N. Powerline Road
Pompano Beach, Florida
