The city of Jacksonville, Florida, ignited an immigration firestorm, criminalizing illegal entry as a city council member touted the “public safety” benefits.

Fox News Digital spoke with at-large Jacksonville City Council member Nick Howland on the city’s ordinance #2025-0147, known as the Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act, which was passed by the city council 12-5 last week and signed into law on Tuesday.

“We are the first city in the country to enact this kind of bill,” Howland said. “We’re standing with our president, with our governor, with our state legislature to secure our borders, to reverse the Biden wave of illegal immigration and to keep our streets and our neighborhoods safe.”

The bill not only criminalizes illegal immigration but also allocates resources to help the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office identify individuals without legal status.

“But it’s not. Instead, it includes language that is hurtful and performative but not substantive,” she said. “There is nothing in this bill that isn’t already required by federal or state law. And in fact, the state law already carries a harsher penalty. So why would JSO need to arrest someone under a new local ordinance when they already have a stronger state law?”

Deegan noted that the city has had an agreement with ICE since 2008 and that sanctuary cities have been banned in the Sunshine State since 2019.

“Any suggestion to the contrary is intentionally misleading,” she said. “On top of it being redundant, this bill puts our local government in a lane where it doesn’t belong. Courts have repeatedly ruled that immigration enforcement is a function of the federal government.”

At-large Jacksonville City Council member Nick Howland said the legislation is “at the end of the day, a public safety bill.” (Visit Jacksonville)

Howland said that even if there are already laws on the books, this adds additional support and flexibility for local police, which makes it worthwhile.

“There’s nothing redundant about giving police another tool in their toolbox to ensure we have safe streets and neighborhoods,” he said.

He said the new city ordinance goes a step further than state and federal laws, making it a local offense to enter or reside within Jacksonville as an illegal migrant. It gives Jacksonville authorities more power to enforce immigration violations locally, he said.

“This allows the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to use the new law to detain individuals a bit longer, long enough to potentially turn them over to ICE,” he said.

“Why is that important? As I mentioned, over 600 people were detained last year, but only 334 were referred to ICE for deportation. With this law, the sheriff’s office can hold individuals longer if they’ve broken the law by entering the country illegally. That means we can increase the number of cases referred to ICE for potential deportation, if necessary.”

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office saw a massive drop in violent crime in 2024. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said the department has seen firsthand the consequences of “failed border policies on public safety.”

“The Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act provides our agency with additional tools and resources to help address those threats and ensure that offenders are held accountable,” he told Fox News Digital. “Furthermore, it sends a clear message that Jacksonville will not be a sanctuary for criminals who enter our country illegally.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.