Call To Action: Demand Your City Criminalize Illegal Aliens Like Jacksonville, Florida Did

The City Council of Jacksonville, Florida, has passed a first of its kind ordinance criminalizing illegal entry and allocating funds for 25 portable fingerprint scanners. Jacksonville’s

Democrat Mayor Donna Deegan objected to the bill but allowed it to become law without her signature because she did not see a clear path to sustaining a veto.

"To every immigrant living in Jacksonville – whether you've been here for decades or just arrived – I want you to hear this from your Mayor: You belong. You matter. You are loved. And we will continue to stand with you," Deegan wrote on X.

Fox News Digital spoke with at-large Jacksonville City Council member Nick Howland on the city's ordinance #2025-0147, known as the Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act, which was passed by the city council 12-5 last week and became law on Tuesday.

"We are the first city in the country to enact this kind of bill," Howland said. "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."

The legislation addresses illegal immigration in Duval County and the City of Jacksonville. The legislation, which passed with a 12-5 vote, marks the first of its kind in Florida.

Council Vice President and District 4 Representative Kevin Carrico championed the measure, emphasizing its role in strengthening local enforcement and ensuring compliance with federal and state immigration laws.

“We just passed historic legislation here in Jacksonville, 12-5 for the Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act,” Carrico said on Florida’s Voice Radio with Drew Steele. “It criminalizes illegal immigration in Duval County and the City of Jacksonville, adds local penalties that can be imparted upon those who are here illegally, and provides necessary equipment for the sheriff’s office.”

Our friends at Florida’s Voice further reported, the legislation includes provisions requiring all city employees to comply with federal, state, and newly enacted local mandates. Carrico stated that this amendment further solidifies Jacksonville’s stance on immigration enforcement.

“City employees—everyone—has to comply. It just makes it the toughest law, first of its kind. We’re a city of a million people. We’re in the great state of Florida, taking our lead from President Trump and our governor,” Carrico said, referencing a recent statement from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who praised the measure on social media. “Thank you, Governor DeSantis, for paying attention, for setting the way, leading the charge to keep our community safe.”

Carrico underscored the urgency of the legislation, citing crime statistics that he says demonstrate a rise in offenses committed by undocumented immigrants since 2021.

“It’s a real issue. Obviously, I don’t have to tell you, but the crime statistics in Duval County speak for themselves. Since the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal immigrants committing crimes in Jacksonville have been on the rise steadily, and we’re not going to tolerate it. Now, we have measures in place to combat those crimes and prevent those people from even coming here.”

“I promise you, the vast majority of the people of Jacksonville support this effort,” Council Member Rory Diamond said. “They are against illegal immigration, they are against rewarding it and they are against spending our money on it, and they want to make sure the citizens in Jacksonville are safe.”

A second Immigration bill introduced by Diamond, which aims to audit city agencies that award grants and prevent that funding from benefitting illegal aliens, is scheduled to be debated in council committees next week.

We urge CHQ readers and friends to contact their local city council members to demand a similar ordinance be enacted in their community. Click here for the text of the ordinance.

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