JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville City Council approved an ordinance at Tuesday night’s meeting to restrict publicly-funded assistance to undocumented immigrants, but not without several changes and heated debate.
The bill, which passed 11 to 7, would require Mayor Donna Deegan’s office to provide a report to the City Council Finance Committee regarding all federal grants, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, and the number of undocumented immigrants in public housing.
The vote was immediately met with a strong reaction from the crowd, with several yelling “shame!”
Read the original, unamended ordinance below:
The bill was introduced by Councilman Rory Diamond (R-District 13), who also co-sponsored a recent controversial law increasing local immigration enforcement. “Are we a nation of laws or are we a nation of anarchy? Are we Jacksonville or are we Los Angeles? Are we Florida or are we California?” said Diamond Tuesday night.
Multiple councilmembers expressed frustration about the bill’s existence at the local level, insisting it should be addressed federally.
“We’re dabbling places we do not belong,” said Councilman Rahman Johnson.
Diamond, however, argued it is a problem that must now be handled at the local level due to inadequate border handling by the Biden Administration.
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Four amendments were made before the bill’s passage, creating exceptions for certain services to undocumented immigrants. An amendment introduced by Councilmember Matt Carlucci passed, making an exception for services for victims of domestic violence. Exceptions were also added for victims of human trafficking, children’s services, and services from UF Health.
Another amendment from Councilwoman Tyrona Clark-Murray made an exception for services to pregnant women.
“This is an attempt to make a horrible bill less horrible,” said Clark-Murray.
The meeting concluded immediately after the final vote around 9:40 P.M., nearly six hours after it began.
The bill now goes to Mayor Donna Deegan’s desk, where she will have to decide whether or not to give it her signature.
The mayor’s office released the following statement following the bill’s passage:
“Mayor Deegan has concerns about the bill. She will be reviewing it and weighing all her options.”
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