JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Demonstrators rallying against proposed anti-immigration legislation packed in front of Jacksonville City Hall Monday night, with protests led by Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Among local faith leaders, activists, and protestors, there was one group noticeably absent.
Maria Garcia, organizer for Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, or JIRA, said undocumented immigrants – at the center of these proposed bills – are living in fear.
“These people live in our communities day in and day out. And above all, they’re human beings, just like me and you,” said JIRA organizer, Maria Garcia.
“They’re helping our community, and they’re making our community great, and they don’t deserve to be scared to move around in their own community in order to gain political points,” said Garcia.
Council member Rory Diamond’s legislation wants to block taxpayer money from being used on anyone until they’re confirmed to be here legally.
He said in a statement to Action News Jax: “My bill requires we only use Jacksonville taxpayer money on people in Jacksonville. The vast majority of people in Jacksonville support this.”
Dragon Belloit, who demonstrated at Tuesday’s rally, thinks differently.
“The fact is that we as people have greater needs than putting in an ordinance that says if you help people like this, you can’t have our money,” said Belloit.
Council member Kevin Carrico’s bill says those who are in the country illegally and enter Duval County would face a minimum of 30 days in jail.
He responded to activists’ concerns over mass deportations.
“This is just fear mongering from the left. There are no instances where police officers will be going into communities and schools and looking for people who are illegal. This is really to help when illegal immigrants commit crimes,” Carrico told Action News Jax on the phone.
Demonstrators also spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting, to share their concerns with the bills, in front of city council.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
