Jacksonville is in the spotlight for its recent efforts on immigration enforcement. The city is the first in Florida and possibly the country to approve an ordinance criminalizing illegal immigration.
It all comes on the heels of the Trump administration cracking down on enforcement as well as Gov. Ron DeSantis signing off on immigration legislation this year.
The measure, which the city council passed 12-5, allows for the jailing of immigrants without legal status for up to 60 days. It also directs $76,250 in unused Economic Development Grant Fund money to add more fingerprint scanners.
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However, the bill has faced backlash and prompted concerns from various community members. Mayor Donna Deegan objected to the bill but allowed it to become law without her signature because she did not see a clear path with a veto.
"To every immigrant living in Jacksonville – whether you’ve been here for decades or just arrived – I want you to hear this from your Mayor: You belong. You matter. You are loved. And we will continue to stand with you," Deegan wrote on X.
At-large Jacksonville City Council member Nick Howland told host Tom Hudson on "The Florida Roundup" that the law is terrific and a way to stand by President Donald Trump and the state government to keep streets and neighborhoods safe.
"This law targets people who are already living here illegally, having broken the law," Howland said.
Howland said it doesn't change how the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has to do lawful detention with reasonable cause. However, he said, what makes the ordinance different from state and federal law is that it makes it a crime to reside within the city. He added that the measure would be used to detain people until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could take the person into custody.
But District 7 council member Jimmy Peluso is among those with major concerns about community repercussions as a result of the ordinance.
He said it's essentially bullying select populations and that the city is taking a federal civil violation and making it into a criminal one for its jurisdiction.
"This bill is a stain on our county and our city and in the residents that call it home," Peluso said. "It's a despicable and disgusting stain on our city. It spits in the face of what America represents. It spits in the face of the massive population of Jacksonville which are non-white."
He also said he expects people in certain communities to avoid calling the police because of the ordinance.
"This takes normal everyday individuals that are just living their lives, and we are now putting them on a pedestal, and we are using them. We are basically bullying one sector of the population," he said.
Peluso said the law reminds him of Jim Crow laws and essentially said that "people aren't allowed to be walking on our streets."
However, Howland countered, "The only people that this law discriminates against are people who've broken the law."
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Howland added that the law does not implement "stop and frisk." He said that officers must first detain someone lawfully and with reasonable cause, then ask for identification, and lastly, use fingerprint scanners.
He said the ordinance was imperative because the local government's primary job is to keep citizens safe.
"That's the No. 1 job of the sheriff. It's the No. 1 job of city council. It should be the No. 1 job of the mayor," Howland said.
He said a legal requirement from the Florida Legislature is that municipalities do everything they can to enforce state law and add its own measures, if necessary.
Peluso, on the other hand, said there is no reason to have the ordinance because there are already state immigration laws. In general, he said immigration should be a federal responsibility.
"It's a shame that at the federal level, we couldn't figure this out decades ago. Instead, they passed the buck time and time again," Peluso said. "It's not for us in the city of Jacksonville to do the law of our elected officials up in Washington D.C., and for us to waste our time, energy on this when we should be putting our time and energy into our parks, our roads, our children's education."
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Tom Hudson for "The Florida Roundup."
