Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier commends Jacksonville's City Council for passing an immigration enforcement bill. Uthmeier spoke Thursday, March 27, 2025, in St. Johns County. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on March 28, 2025 at 9:33 am
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After the Jacksonville City Council this week passed an ordinance to let local police jail undocumented immigrants, Mayor Donna Deegan says she’s not sure she’ll sign the bill into law.
Deegan says her administration is working with the Office of General Counsel to review the legality and potential unintended consequences of the measure.
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Deegan says she believes existing state and federal immigration laws could make the local ordinance redundant. She also worries the city could face lawsuits over it, as has happened in Texas.
Part of the ordinance appropriates $76,250 for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to buy fingerprint scanners to verify the immigration status of suspects. Deegan says she would ensure JSO gets that money regardless.
Speaking in St. Johns County on Thursday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said under a new state immigration law, cities must “do everything possible with the resources available to help the federal government execute federal law.”
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Uthmeier warned that city leaders who are seen as preventing police from enforcing immigration laws could face penalties, including suspension.
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