A state prosecutor has subpoenaed the city of Jacksonville to look for evidence of what the Florida attorney general alleges is immigration enforcement…<\/p>\n
A state prosecutor has subpoenaed the city of Jacksonville to look for evidence of what the Florida attorney general alleges is immigration enforcement interference by Mayor Donna Deegan\u2019s Hispanic outreach coordinator.<\/p>\n
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the subpoena in a post<\/a> Monday on the social media platform X. Uthmeier wrote, \u201cIf there\u2019s evidence that (Deegan\u2019s) administration coordinated to impede immigration enforcement and harbor criminal aliens, we will hold them accountable!\u201d <\/p>\n A copy of the subpoena obtained by Jacksonville Today through a public records request gives city officials until Feb. 20 to produce the emails, text messages, social media communications and other records of Yanira Cardona \u2014 the city\u2019s first Hispanic outreach coordinator.<\/a><\/p>\n The criminal investigation comes about two weeks after Cardona returned to work at City Hall after a brief suspension<\/a> for posting a video that went viral on social media.<\/p>\n In the video, Cardona discussed recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Jacksonville and provided advice on how to navigate interactions with immigration enforcement. She emphasized complying with officers.<\/p>\n The subpoena compels city officials to produce \u2014 among other records \u2014 emails, attachments, text and social media messages, and PowerPoint slideshows produced from Jan. 2-16 in English and Spanish related to: <\/p>\n 1. Any activity by, location of or interactions with, any person with United States government or Florida law enforcement agents or agencies of any description (ICE, CBP, OHS, HSI, FHP, JSO, FDLE), or the name, identity, or vehicle operated by any member thereof<\/p>\n 2. Methods by which any person might avoid contact with or conceal their whereabouts from said agents or agencies<\/p>\n 3. All emails (including attachments) containing the words or phrases \u201cNazi,\u201d \u201cGestapo,\u201d \u201cstormtrooper,\u201d \u201cterrorize,\u201d \u201cJennifer Cruz\u201d or \u201cGamble Scott.\u201d<\/p>\n Melissa Ross, Deegan\u2019s director of strategic initiatives and press liaison, told Jacksonville Today that Cardona remains on the job as the state\u2019s investigation moves forward.<\/p>\n In an emailed statement, the Deegan administration said Monday that it will fully cooperate with the subpoena issued by the Office of Statewide Prosecution and linked the investigation to electoral politics. <\/p>\n \u201cInstead of addressing the pocketbook concerns of Floridians \u2014 including property insurance, housing costs, and health care \u2014 the attorney general is once again on a hyper-partisan fishing expedition as we enter election season,\u201d Phil Perry, the city\u2019s chief communications officer, said in the email. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are confident that a review of the facts will show the administration acted lawfully, as we always do.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a reminder, the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office has a duly elected sheriff and maintains the sole responsibility for coordination and interaction with state and federal immigration agencies. The mayor does not hold any authority over those activities under our consolidated government,\u201d Perry wrote. \u201dWe remain committed to following the law, upholding the Constitution and keeping everyone in our community safe. We will continue to focus on moving Jacksonville forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The Florida attorney general and his staff have ramped up criticism of the Deegan administration over the last month. On Jan. 28, he amplified the Mayor\u2019s Office\u2019s social media post<\/a> on Holocaust Remembrance Day that featured Deegan\u2019s recent speech at the Ramallah Club\u2019s Jacksonville Chapter.<\/p>\n In the Tweet<\/a>, Uthmeier\u2019s communications director, Jeremy Redfern, called attention to the keffiyeh on the podium in the picture where Deegan spoke, claiming the traditional Palestinian scarf is \u201ccommonly worn by and associated with Hamas terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n Uthmeier himself shared news coverage of Cardona\u2019s suspension on X<\/a> and commented, \u201cGreat, this is illegal and needs to be seriously addressed!\u201d <\/p>\n He also tweeted a dashcam video<\/a> showing the arrest of 40-year-old Jacksonville woman, Jennifer Cruz, being held by two ICE agents at a shopping center on Beach Boulevard.<\/p>\n He took questions about the subpoena Monday during a news conference<\/a> in Green Cove Springs about child social media protections. <\/p>\n The attorney general said any local interference with immigration enforcement violates state law signed last year<\/a> that created a state board to coordinate immigration enforcement activities with federal officials. The law created a $250 million grant program for local law enforcement agencies to assist federal enforcement efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cI know the mayor said nothing wrong happened here. We disagree with that. So, we\u2019re looking at it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there was a coordinated effort for this city official to work with other city employees or outside (nongovernmental organizations) to try to thwart our effort to enforce the law, then we will hold these wrongdoers accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n Uthmeier touted Florida officials\u2019 coordination with federal immigration agencies and was critical of Minnesota, where crackdowns against undocumented immigrants led to the shooting deaths of two American citizens \u2014 Renee Good and Alex Pretti<\/a> \u2014 by federal agents.<\/p>\n He also floated the possibility of \u201cfederal angles\u201d in the investigation, specifically the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. But Uthmeier stopped short of confirming any federal involvement in the case.<\/p>\n
Cardona\u2019s 15-minute video<\/a> on her personal Instagram account states in the bio she\u2019s the city\u2019s Hispanic outreach coordinator. The aftermath provoked widespread reaction from critics as well as Jacksonville\u2019s immigrant communities.<\/p>\n Jacksonville Immigrants Rights Alliance organizer Maria Garcia said apps like Nextdoor, which allows people to report police activity in their area, are widely used and that information is easily available. <\/p>\n She calls the state\u2019s subpoena political. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous. You\u2019re allowed to tell people about the presence of law enforcement,\u201d Garcia told Jacksonville Today after the subpoena was released Monday. \u201cI don\u2019t think you can in any way tie that to impeding enforcement.\u201d <\/p>\n This story was originally published by Jacksonville Today<\/a> and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
\nImmigration advocates respond <\/p>\n