JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan has not yet said whether she plans to sign off on a proposed immigration bill moving through city hall when it more than likely makes it to her desk next week.
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Now, a recent scrap between Florida’s new Attorney General and the Fort Myers City Council is raising questions about whether Deegan could face repercussions if she were to veto the bill.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued this letter to Fort Myers City Council members after they rejected a proposal that would have increased the local police department’s cooperation with ICE.
In it, he suggested city leaders could face civil and criminal penalties, or even be removed from office.
“We’re taking a firm stance,” said Jacksonville City Council Vice President Kevin Carrico (R-District 4).
Carrico is sponsoring the local legislation that would make it illegal to be in Duval County without legal status and mandate city agencies cooperate with immigration officials.
“Illegal immigrants are committing crimes in this community every day, basically, if you look at the stats and there’s a federal mandate by President Trump to crack down on illegal immigration,” said Carrico.
The mayor has not yet announced whether she’ll support it, but she has raised questions about whether it is redundant with state and federal laws.
“Mayor Deegan will look at the substance of the bill to make her decision,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Action News Jax Wednesday.
If she were to veto the bill, it’s unclear whether she could face similar threats like those facing officials in Fort Myers.
Uthmeier’s office declined to comment on the specific hypothetical when asked by Action News Jax, but the Attorney General did recently make a broad statement regarding local governments that “obstruct” the state’s mission to support federal immigration efforts.
“In Florida, we will not let local governments obstruct our mission to support the federal government in combatting illegal immigration,” Uthmeier wrote in a social media post.
Carrico said he’s not sure whether a veto could place the city or the mayor at risk, but he did encourage her to support it.
“To the mayor, I would say just don’t play politics with this issue,” said Carrico. ”This is a real issue. This is a good bill. It helps protect the citizens. It helps enforce the federal mandates from President Trump.”
The immigration bill is set to be taken up by the full council for a final vote on Tuesday night.
The mayor has indicated she won’t decide whether to support it or not until she sees the final product.
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