Jacksonville, FL – On September 12, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) led a car caravan toward the immigration camp in Baker, dubbed Baker Cruelty Camp, to protest the torturous conditions those within are subjected to.

30 brave people marched in solidarity, including members of other activist groups, such as the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA).

With an increase in ICE activity throughout Jacksonville, the local grassroots organization has naturally kept its eye on the nearest detainment camp in Baker County, where residents of Duval County will be taken when arrested by ICE agents.

Recently, there have been hunger strikes by the detainees inside, and while they may have recently ended, the fight has not. Especially when detainees are being denied necessities like clean food and water and necessary medication, leading to severe seizures and, most recently, a case of death due to a detainee being denied his insulin.

The JIRA-led caravan came to a nearby park, where those participating marched to the camp itself in protest. From outside the gates, protesters were able to hear detainees inside banging on their windows and calling out in solidarity.

A member of JIRA stated, “The fire within us, whatever the conditions we face, cannot and will not die. The fire of the people unites us all, beyond the walls of these camps, and the people united will never be defeated.”

JIRA’s end goal is legalization for all, which would eliminate the need for things like Temporary Protected Status, which has been proven can be snatched away at any moment. In the meantime, JIRA continues the fight on the streets to defend the rights of immigrants.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #JIRA #TIRA

The action happened in the wake of an increase of ICE activity in the area and just days after Juan Jario Carasquillo Durán, a local 28-year-old Mexican immigrant, was struck and killed by a semi truck while crossing a highway fleeing from ICE in Saint Augustine, a city only around 40 minutes away from Jacksonville.

Durán’s death marked the third death in the past week during an ICE interaction, with the second death being Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian father and husband who was shot and killed in front of his wife and daughter in Maine.

Around 100 local activists and community members gathered to demand justice for the victims. Organizations such as the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, and 50501 Vets were among several groups that spoke. Signs held at the rally said, “ICE out of our community,” “Hands off Nadia Topete” and “Florida will melt ICE.”

“We can’t just let a member of our community pass away and not have anything to say about it,” said a member of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, “We can’t just stand by and watch as our other community members for weeks have been terrorized, scared to even leave their own homes to go to their jobs.”

JIRA continues to stand in solidarity with the families of the victims as they fight for justice for their loved ones and advocate for the rights of immigrants in Jacksonville through know your rights initiatives, demanding an end to the cruelty camps, and demanding an end to the 287(g) agreement, which allows local law enforcement to act as ICE.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #JIRA

Jacksonville, FL – On April 4, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) hosted a vigil with approximately 30 people in attendance, at Memorial Park. This vigil is in respect to and mourning for the individuals who have been killed at the hands of ICE, especially those who have been killed within the detention camps that are located throughout the U.S.

This comes after news that this year's detention center deathrates are the highest of the last 20 years. Hand in hand with the Legalization For All Network, JIRA highlighted some of the following deaths in particular: Ruben Ray Martinez, a Chicano who was shot by the Department of Homeland Security; Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Myanmar refugee who suffered abuse and neglect from Border Patrol; Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes, who died of medical neglect while within ICE custody, and Daphy Michel, a Haitian asylum seeker who died of medical complications after being detained by ICE.

“No man should have the power to make the decision of whether you belong based on legal status, let alone a city cop,” said a member of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance. This was said in direct reference to the way these death rates are exacerbated by the establishment of 287(g) agreements, which are legal programs in the U.S. that allow local law enforcement to act in place of ICE. This is something that JIRA says they're fighting to see removed entirely.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #JIRA #ICE