Jacksonville, FL: Week of action in response to city anti-immigrant ordinance
Jacksonville, FL – On March 25, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) began their week of action in response to the passing of ordinance 2025-0147 by the Jacksonville City Council. This ordinance is designed to support the Trump administration’s terror against immigrants; it allocates the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office $75,000 for more equipment for them to harass people and collaborate with ICE.
Jacksonville has seen JSO use the incentive to stop and harass people, and so the community spoke out endlessly against the proposed ordinance at every city council meeting, in every councilmember’s inbox, and on the streets for multiple rallies and actions.
JIRA watched as the city council ignored the consistent demands of the people – and even acknowledged how unrelenting the people’s opposition to the bill had been.
As soon as the vote was called, JIRA and members of the community erupted from the chambers and held an impromptu rally at the steps of City Hall. JIRA declared they would continue to fight against the measure as it went before Mayor Donna Deegan and called on people to speak at her town hall meeting that week to tell her to veto it. They outlined campaigns that would target and challenge the implementation of the bill, and many new coalition partners declared they would continue to work together to fight attacks on immigrants.