In Orange County, Florida, the local Democratic Party has voiced strong opposition to the possible establishment of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Central Florida. The Democrats are particularly concerned about the prospect of a new detention center opening in Orlando.

Jarred Cornell, who serves as the Interim Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, emphasized the party’s long-standing commitment to civil rights. “Democrats have long stood on the front lines of the fights for civil rights,” Cornell stated, underscoring their stance against ICE’s proposed operations in the region.

This resistance emerged following confirmations by News 6 that ICE had recently toured a warehouse located on Transport Drive as a potential site for the detention center. Additionally, reports have surfaced indicating that ICE has reserved up to 200 hotel rooms throughout Central Florida, further fueling local concerns.

The warehouse being considered is situated in southeast Orange County, within the bounds of Orlando’s jurisdiction, and lies to the east of the interchange between State Road 528 and State Road 417. Its strategic location has attracted ICE’s interest, although it has sparked significant debate among community leaders and residents.

Orlando’s Mayor, Buddy Dyer, addressed the ongoing discussions surrounding the potential facility during an event held in Downtown Orlando on Wednesday. As talks continue, the community awaits further developments regarding the future of ICE operations in the area.

“I’ve heard nothing from rumors, nothing official from, we’ve not even been contacted by ICE in an official way,” he told News 6. “I’m not going to speculate the possibilities, but I will say we’re doing all of our legal research.”

Meanwhile, Orange County Democrats gathered to share their opposition to ICE’s plans and called on the community to join their efforts.

“We have started a robust coalition called ‘Immigrants are welcome here coalition,’” Dreamer and candidate for Florida House District 42 Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet said. “I want to remind everybody; we still have the constitution of the United States behind us and we have first amendment that gives us the right to assemble against our government.”

Under a current agreement between Orange County and the federal government, undocumented immigrant detainees without criminal charges can be housed in Orange County Jail for up to 72 hours before they are turned over to the custody of ICE.

As of Friday, Jan. 16, there were 831 bookings in the Orange County jail with immigration holds, according to a county spokesperson, who noted that “there has been a significant number of re-bookings.””