JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville made history as the first city in Florida to pass an ordinance criminalizing undocumented immigration.
The ordinance, known as the Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act, was passed by the City Council 12-5 last week and signed into law on Tuesday.
The historic move reinforces President Donald Trump’s and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent efforts to enforce immigration laws.
What is the Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act?
What We Know: The new legislation will make it a local crime for undocumented immigrants to enter or remain in Jacksonville. First-time offenders face a mandatory 30-day jail sentence, while repeat offenders may face up to 60 days in jail.
The bill also provides resources to assist the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) in identifying individuals without legal status.
One of the primary resources mentioned in the bill was a request for 25 mobile fingerprint scanners for law enforcement. Jacksonville covers more than 800 square miles, and the bill includes $76,000 for additional fingerprint readers.
‘Keep our streets and our neighborhoods safe’
What’s being said: At the meeting, City Council Member Nick Howland emphasized the ordinance’s “public safety” benefits.
“We are the first city in the country to enact this kind of bill,” Howland told FOX News. “We’re standing with our president, with our governor, with our state legislature to secure our borders, to reverse the Biden wave of illegal immigration, and to keep our streets and our neighborhoods safe.”
According to Howland, the bill has two main parts.
“The first is what we’ve already discussed; it criminalizes entering or residing in Duval County if you are an illegal immigrant,” he told me. “The second section focuses on determining whether someone is in the country illegally. … Finally, this is a bill about public safety.
This keeps people off the streets who might otherwise endanger our community. And we need to know if someone is legal or illegal, and fingerprint readers can help.”
Even though there are already laws in place, Howland believes the new bill provides additional support and flexibility for local police, making it worthwhile.
“There’s nothing redundant about giving police another tool in their toolbox to ensure we have safe streets and neighborhoods,” he told me.
According to Howland, the new ordinance goes beyond state and federal laws by making it a local offense to enter or reside in Jacksonville as an undocumented immigrant. It gives Jacksonville authorities more authority to enforce immigration violations locally, he said.
“This allows the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to use the new law to detain individuals a bit longer, long enough to potentially turn them over to ICE,” the deputy explained.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters stated that the department has witnessed firsthand the impact of “failed border policies on public safety.”
“The Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act provides our agency with additional tools and resources to help address those threats and ensure that offenders are held accountable,” according to FOX News. “Furthermore, it sends a clear message that Jacksonville will not be a sanctuary for criminals who enter our country illegally.”
‘Hurtful and performative, but not substantive’
The other side: While supporters of the law, including Howland, have boasted about its potential impact on public safety, others have criticized it for redundancy and the implementation of “stop and frisk” policies.
“It has always been my position that we will provide the equipment and resources they require,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan stated during a press conference. “So, they will receive funding for the 25 fingerprint scanners that were requested. I wish 2025-147 (the ordinance) had been limited to that.
But it isn’t. Instead, it contains language that is hurtful and performative, but not substantive. Nothing in this bill goes beyond what is already required by federal or state law. In fact, the state law already imposes a harsher penalty. So, why should JSO arrest someone under a new local ordinance when they already have a stronger state law?
Deegan stated that the city has had an agreement with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since 2008, and sanctuary cities have been prohibited in the Sunshine State since 2019.
“Any suggestion to the contrary is intentionally misleading,” she told me. “In addition to being redundant, this bill places our local government in an unsuitable lane. Courts have repeatedly ruled that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.”
How many undocumented immigrants are there in Jacksonville?
By the numbers: According to reports, Duval County detained 602 undocumented immigrants in 2024. According to legislation drafted by City Council Member Kevin Carrico, ICE detained 334 people for deportation purposes. The rest either served their sentence or were released on bail.
Among the 334 deportation cases, there were 94 charges for battery, 140 for DUI, and murder and sexual assault.
