The city of Jacksonville, Florida, sparked an immigration tempest by criminalizing unlawful entry as a city council member emphasized the “public safety” benefits.
Fox News Digital spoke with at-large Jacksonville City Council member Nick Howland on the city’s ordinance #2025-0147, also known as the Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act, which passed 12-5 last week and was signed into law on Tuesday.
“We are the first city in the country to enact this kind of bill,” he stated. “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 bill not only criminalizes illegal immigration, but also provides resources to assist the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in identifying those without legal status.
One of the primary resources mentioned in the bill was a request for 25 mobile fingerprint scanners for law enforcement.
Undocumented immigrants who enter or remain in Jacksonville will also be charged with a municipal criminal under the proposal. First-time offenders face a mandatory 30-day jail sentence, while repeat offenders may face up to 60 days in jail.
“There are two major sections of the measure. The first, as previously discussed, criminalizes illegal immigrants from entering or remaining in Duval County. “The second part focuses on determining whether someone is in the country illegally,” he explained.
According to Howland, Jacksonville employs fingerprint readers, as do most sheriff’s offices and police departments.
“This bill helps [Jacksonville] Sheriff T.K. Waters determine how many additional fingerprint readers are needed to equip every patrol unit operating 24/7 throughout the city and county,” he told reporters.
Jacksonville encompasses more than 800 square miles, and the package includes $76,000 for 25 additional fingerprint readers.
“That will bring the department’s total to just over 150, roughly one for every patrol,” he told me. “This is critical because it gives the sheriff another tool in the toolbox.”
In 2024, 602 undocumented immigrants were held in Duval County. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained 334 people for deportation, according to legislation drafted by City Council member Kevin Carrico. The rest either served their sentence or were released on bail.
Among the 334 deportation cases, there were 94 charges for battery, 140 for DUI, and murder and sexual assault.
“This is, at the end of the day, a public safety bill,” Howland told reporters. “This keeps people off the streets who would otherwise harm our communities. And we need to know if someone is legitimate or illegal, and fingerprint readers can help.”
While proponents of the bill, such as Howland, have boasted about its potential impact on public safety, others have attacked it for being redundant and implementing “stop and frisk” procedures.
“It has always been my position that we will provide the equipment and resources they require.” As a result, they will receive funding for the needed 25 fingerprint scanners. “I wish that was all 2025-147 was,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan remarked at a press conference.
“But it isn’t. Instead, it contains terminology that is cruel and performative, but not substantive,” she explained. “This bill includes nothing that is not already required by federal or state law. In fact, the state legislation already imposes a stiffer penalty. So, why should JSO arrest someone under a new local ordinance when they already have a tougher state law?
Deegan stated that the city has had an arrangement with ICE since 2008, and sanctuary towns have been prohibited in the Sunshine State since 2019.
“Any suggestion to the contrary is intentionally misleading,” she told me. “In addition to being unnecessary, this bill places our local government in an unsuitable lane. Courts have frequently determined that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.”
Howland stated that even if there are already rules in place, this provides additional support and flexibility for local police, making it beneficial.
“There’s nothing redundant about giving police another tool in their toolbox to ensure we have safe streets and neighborhoods,” he told me.
He stated that the new city legislation goes above state and federal rules by making it a local offense to enter or remain in Jacksonville as an illegal migrant. It provides Jacksonville officials additional authority to enforce immigration breaches locally, he added.
“This allows the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to use the new law to detain individuals a bit longer, long enough to potentially turn them over to ICE,” the deputy explained.
“Why is this important? As previously stated, over 600 persons were apprehended last year, but only 334 were referred to ICE for deportation. This statute allows the sheriff’s office to detain people for longer periods of time if they violate the law by entering the nation illegally. That means we can report more instances to ICE for deportation if necessary.”
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters stated that the department has witnessed directly the impact of “failed border policies on public safety.”
“The Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act provides our agency with additional tools and resources to help address those threats and ensure that offenders are held accountable,” according to Fox News Digital. “Furthermore, it sends a clear message that Jacksonville will not be a sanctuary for criminals who enter our country illegally.”