A Jacksonville City Council member has filed legislation to ensure the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has the resources needed to enforce President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.
According to a news release, the legislation would help the sheriff’s office buy 25 fingerprint readers to identify and process those in the country illegally and help support new immigration measures recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
It would also make it a local offense for an immigrant without legal status to enter or reside in Jacksonville.
“Our community, like so many others across the nation, is dealing with the consequences of failed border policies,” said city council Vice President Kevin Carrico, who introduced the legislation. “With President (Donald) Trump now leading the charge to enforce the law and protect Americans, it’s critical that we give our local law enforcement officers the tools and resources they need to do their jobs effectively,
“This funding will strengthen our sheriff’s office’s ability to identify and remove individuals who have violated immigration laws and ensure our city remains a safe place for law-abiding residents.”
Carrico said that the Jacksonville Immigration Act is an effort to keep the city safer, “to go in lockstep with what the Florida Legislature and our President Donald Trump has put in place as far as immigration policies.”
“It’s a collaboration with (the sheriff’s office) and our sheriff, T.K. Waters, so we worked together on putting language together that would essentially give him and his staff more tools,” Carrico said.
Carrico was asked about concerns that nonviolent people might be detained through these immigration policies.
“I’d say that fentanyl is nonviolent, but hundreds of people die from drug overdoses,” Carrico said. “That’s really one of the big concerns of those drugs coming in from other countries, and it doesn’t bode well for safety in communities when teenagers and young people think they’re trying some kind of a drug and it’s fentanyl, and they die and they lose their life.”
Waters was recently appointed to the State Immigration Enforcement Council by Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, D-Miami. The eight-member panel also includes Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
“Illegal immigration is not just a federal issue; it affects us right here at home,” Waters said. “We’ve seen the impact on public safety, and this legislation will give us the support we need to enforce the laws effectively and keep our community safe.”
Under a new Florida immigration law, the enforcement council is appointed by the House speaker and Senate president, and the newly formed State Board of Immigation Enforcement, which is made up of the governor, attorney general, chief finiancial officer and state attorney.
Duties include advising the immigration board on enforcement strategies.
News4Jax is a coverage partner of Jacksonville NPR affiliate WJCT's Jax Today website.
