Florida City Criminalizes Illegal Immigration

The city of Jacksonville, Florida, ignited an immigration firestorm, criminalizing illegal entry as a city council member touted the “public safety” benefits.

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 signed into 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 bill not only criminalizes illegal immigration but also allocates resources to help the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office identify individuals without legal status.

One of the main resources listed in the bill was a request for 25 mobile fingerprint scanners for law enforcement.

The legislation will also make it a local crime for undocumented immigrants to enter or reside in the city of Jacksonville. First-time offenders face a mandatory 30-day jail sentence, while repeat offenders could receive up to 60 days in jail.

“There are two main parts to the bill. The first is what we’ve already discussed; it criminalizes entering or residing in Duval County if you are an illegal immigrant. The second part focuses on determining whether someone is in the country illegally,” he said.

Howland said, like most sheriff’s offices and police departments, Jacksonville uses fingerprint readers.

“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 said.

Jacksonville covers over 800 square miles, and the bill allocates $76,000 for 25 more fingerprint readers.

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In 2024, 602 undocumented immigrants were detained in Duval County. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took custody of 334 for deportation, according to the legislation, written by City Council member Kevin Carrico. The rest either served their time or were released on bail.

Among those 334 deportation cases, there were 94 charges for battery, 140 for DUI, as well as cases involving murder and sexual assault.

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