The city of Jacksonville, Florida, has become the first municipality in the United States to enact a law criminalizing illegal migrants within the city limits. The Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act was passed by the city council last week and signed into law on Tuesday. The law makes it a local crime for the undocumented to enter or reside within the city. First-time offenders face a mandatory 30-day jail sentence, while repeat offenders could receive up to 60 days in jail.
Jacksonville, covering 800 square miles, is the largest city by area in the US and the country’s tenth largest city in population.
In addition to the criminalizing of illegals, the law gives authorities more tools to enforce the law, providing, for example, funding for fingerprint readers to identify suspects.
Although the city has had an agreement with ICE since 2008 and sanctuary cities are illegal in Florida, nevertheless, of the more than 600 illegals detained last year, only 334 were referred to ICE for deportation. The law makes it possible for officials to hold those arrested for longer periods, permitting ICE to seek deportation.
Though the city council voted 12-5 for the law, the city’s mayor opposed it, saying the contained language that was “hurtful and performative.”
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