A.G. Gancarski
Jacksonville’s Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan is taking a position on the “Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act.”
She won’t veto it. She won’t sign it. She will denounce it.
“I want to be crystal clear. I do not believe this bill is necessary. And I will not sign it. It will become law without signature,” Deegan said.
During a press conference at City Hall, Deegan said immigrants were part of the “beautiful mosaic” of Jacksonville, and that they are “welcome” in the city.
She noted that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) would get the 25 fingerprint scanners it asked for in the bill, but that the punitive measures making immigration a “local crime” are redundant given state and federal law. She also noted that JSO has had an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2008, referring to the cooperative 287(g) deals.
She also said the bill “puts Jacksonville in a lane where it doesn’t belong” and would prompt “an expensive lawsuit.”
She won’t veto it though, saying it would sacrifice “all we have left to do over a bill that does not change anything.”
Deegan’s position comes after Republicans in Tallahassee warned her not to veto it.
Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier said “if a city official takes action to impede or prevent law enforcement from undergoing the necessary training and participating with the feds to get these people back where they came from, then I do believe the law is violated and that there will be penalties for that.”
He didn’t exactly reward her for courage after signing it, saying “it takes a lot of courage to hold a press conference and announce that you’re doing nothing.”
“The good news is that state immigration law will be upheld. Thank you Jacksonville City Council for getting this important local legislation across the finish line,” Uthmeier added.
Gov. Ron DeSantis also wanted the bill to become law.
“Great job to the City of Jacksonville in following Florida law and empowering their law enforcement to assist in the enforcement of laws against illegal immigration. I am pleased to see this follow from our work in the special session I called in January to insist that all state and local entities participate in immigration enforcement,” he posted to social media Wednesday.
10 comments
Peachy
April 2, 2025 at 1:33 pm
So kind of like Obama voting present as a Senator. Real leadership qualities there Donna.
MH/Duuuval
April 2, 2025 at 1:47 pm
More like saving your ammo for a future assault, especially when litigious MAGAs get their legal help without paying a cent from their own pockets.
Aldo Harding
April 2, 2025 at 2:28 pm
I never imagined that it was honest to goodness yet my closest companion is earning $27 thousand a month by working on the web, that was truly shocking for me, she prescribed me to attempt it simply ,
GO ON MY PROFILE
JD
April 2, 2025 at 1:49 pm
It’s the best play. She can neuter it with administration and budget contraints. I hope to see her and the Democrats starting to play hardball. And she will get the high road on this one too.
Peachy
April 2, 2025 at 1:52 pm
That’s what I call weak or no leadership. You guys spin it how you like.
Peachy
April 2, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Playing hardball? Torching, keying, placing devices at Tesla dealerships? Then Spartacus with his 25 hour rant about nothing? Now Jayapal with the Resistance Lab nonsense. Intolerant, my way or the highway Democrats that all know more than we do.
JD
April 2, 2025 at 2:40 pm
Aw, so you’re afraid now that the same hardball tactics you’ve cheered for are being turned around on you? Where was this outrage when the GOP was purging voter rolls through anonymous mass challenges? Or when gerrymandering was fine-tuned like an art form to lock in power even when the majority voted against you? Or how about when Republican state legislatures passed bills to override the will of voters after the election didn’t go their way?
Let’s not forget the flood of dark money from shadowy super PACs, the voter suppression laws targeting minorities and students, or the relentless disinformation campaigns. Y’all cheered for January 6th , actual violence, not metaphors or vandalism, and then tried to gaslight the country about it afterward.
And now you want to act like the moral authority because someone gave a speech you didn’t like or took a protest too far? If Teslas are getting torched, it’s not because Jayapal made a spreadsheet. It’s because people are angry, really angry, and feel unheard. That doesn’t justify violence, but let’s not pretend you haven’t been applauding it when it fit your narrative.
This “my way or the highway” thing , that’s projection. It was your party that openly said you’d rather burn it all down than share power fairly.
So I say good for the Democrats. And I should say a thank you to the BananaRepublicans for teaching them so well, the high road be damned.
Peachy
April 2, 2025 at 2:51 pm
Angry JD. I never cheered for Jan 6. It was a protest, not a coup that went too far. So we have millions of illegals that got SSN’s while Biden and his auto pen was in charge. Then the ballot harvesting and stuffing drop off boxes in the middle of the night hoping to not get caught. Your party harassing Jewish students at colleges. Defacing campus buildings all in the name of free speech. Like u said before you people are intolerant. It is your way or the highway. All these videos out there now of people attacking Tesla cars and dealerships. Takes me back to the burning of cities , looting , Demos smacking people on the back of their head with skate boards. Punks.
JD
April 2, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Angry? Nah, just tired of the hypocrisy. You say Jan 6 was just a protest that “went too far”, tell that to the cops who were beaten with flagpoles and crushed in doorways. Tell that to the people chanting about hanging the VP and hunting members of Congress. A protest? That was an attempted power grab fueled by a lie and too many on your side still refuse to admit it.
Now you’re throwing out all the buzzwords: “illegals,” “ballot stuffing,” “auto pen,” and “drop boxes” like a greatest hits of conspiracy theories. But when courts asked for proof? Crickets. Over 60 cases dismissed, many by Republican-appointed judges. And yet the myth lives on because the truth doesn’t serve the narrative.
As for the campus protests, guess what, free speech isn’t always pretty. You’re suddenly outraged about graffiti and shouting, but silent when actual Nazis marched in Charlottesville or when Jewish cemeteries were vandalized by white supremacists. Antisemitism exists across the spectrum, and pretending it’s exclusive to one side is just dishonest.
And Tesla attacks? You’re more outraged over a car than over kids getting gunned down in schools or families losing healthcare because billionaires want tax breaks. Punks? You mean the ones with tiki torches and zip ties, or the ones screaming at drag queens while waving assault rifles?
The “my way or the highway” attitude is rich coming from a party that literally tried to overturn an election because they lost. Your projection is showing.
WorksProfit7
April 2, 2025 at 2:36 pm
Believe it or not, I’ve been making more than $15k a month from home.
CLICK ON PROFILE ➤➤