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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProtesters outside St. Petersburg City Hall oppose the city\u2019s ICE partnership on May 16, 2026. Photo by Daria Mironova\/WMNF.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProtesters outside St. Petersburg City Hall oppose the city\u2019s ICE partnership on May 16, 2026. Photo by Daria Mironova\/WMNF.<\/p>\n
A small but determined group of protesters gathered outside St. Petersburg City Hall last Saturday. They renewed calls for city leaders to end cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities through the 287(g) program. The Tampa Bay Immigrant Solidarity Network and the End 287(g) Committee organized the gathering. They said the demonstration was part of an ongoing campaign to remain visible, vocal, and consistent in showing support for immigrant communities.<\/p>\n
Two police officers in a golf cart monitored the protest from across the street. Demonstrators held signs and repeated \u201cNo hate. No Fear. Immigrants are welcomed here\u201d chants. \u00a0They directed their message at Mayor Ken Welch and Police Chief Anthony Holloway.<\/p>\n
What is the 287(g) agreement<\/p>\n
The 287(g) program allows local law enforcement agencies to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agreements give certain officers authority to carry out immigration enforcement duties.<\/p>\n
New data shows ICE agents in Florida have made more immigration arrests this year than any other region in the country. As of March 10, the Miami ICE field office made over 9,800 arrests, averaging about 120 per day. Statewide totals are not yet available.<\/p>\n
Local voices<\/p>\n
For protesters in St.Pete, the demonstration was about maintaining public pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here today because we want our presence to be continuously seen and heard about how much we are against the 287(g) agreement,\u201d said protester Anoosh Mohsin.<\/p>\n
Mohsin described the agreement as \u201cunethical and immoral.\u201d She said it effectively turns local police into immigration agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis agreement allows local police to act as ICE agents, deport, arrest, or detain anyone under suspicion of being an undocumented migrant,\u201d Mohsin said. \u201cA lot of these arrests are exceptionally violent. They are literally separating families from each other, destroying our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Mohsin, the issue is personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone being detained, any migrant brother, any migrant friend \u2013 it is a personal story,\u201d Mohsin said. \u201cA lot of these arrests are made literally on suspicion, because somebody\u2019s accent is not the same as you\u2019re used to hearing,\u201d Mohsin said.<\/p>\n
Lamark Stillings, another protester, said many of the people affected by immigration enforcement are not strangers.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in the Tampa Bay area, a lot of my friends and community members were people who maybe didn\u2019t have the clearest immigration status,\u201d Stillings said. \u201cWhen I see someone getting taken off the street, it\u2019s not just another person. That\u2019s my neighbor. That\u2019s my best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stillings said City Hall was chosen intentionally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the symbolic center of St. Pete\u2019s city government,\u201d he said. \u201cMayor Ken Welch has the capacity to get rid of the 287(g) agreement here, but he is actively choosing not to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
The protest is part of an ongoing effort by immigrant rights advocates in Tampa Bay. They say showing up consistently matters, even with smaller crowds.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery human being deserves dignity,\u201d Stillings said. \u201cRight now, we seem to want to strip dignity from them. So, it\u2019s up to us as everyday citizens to stand up for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though small, the gathering carried a message of persistence. Moreover, the community advocates said they plan to continue demonstrating until St. Petersburg ends its participation in the 287(g) program.<\/p>\n
For those in attendance, the debate over immigration enforcement is deeply personal and far from over.<\/p>\n