JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A sizable crowd assembled outside the Jacksonville City Hall on Friday, pressing Mayor Donna Deegan to adopt a more assertive stance against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations currently underway in the city.

Protesters rallied with cries of “We want justice! Ice out of our streets now!” as they called for the termination of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s agreement with ICE under the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to carry out certain immigration enforcement tasks.

The gathering also advocated for the return of Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, who serves as the city’s Hispanic outreach director. Cardona was put on administrative leave after she broadcasted a video from her City Hall office during work hours, alerting the community to ICE actions targeting Hispanic businesses and residents.

“Yaya is in the right, and I will never, ever, ever defend anyone that’s gonna silence a woman, period, so put her back in and do better,” one protester passionately declared.

Mayor Deegan addressed Cardona’s suspension during a Thursday press gaggle, emphasizing it was a policy violation, not a reaction to the video’s content.

“This is certainly an issue that stokes fear in our community and I hate that… but what you cannot do when you work for an administration is go do what you want to do,” Deegan said.

Protesters rejected the explanation, urging Deegan to publicly condemn ICE and demand the agency leave Jacksonville.

“Mayor Donna Deegan, we must do better,” one speaker said. “You in your position as mayor have a duty to protect all of us just as so many other mayors around the country are doing to fight ICE.”

“The thing is that she hasn’t spoken out against ICE and she should have if she loved the immigrant community,” another added. “If she loves them, then speak for them, then fight for them.”

“You’ve been elected and given a voice by the people that you are claiming to represent, so use your voice and represent them,” a third protester said.

The mayor’s office referred First Coast News to Deegan’s Thursday comments for response to Friday’s rally.

“We are a city of immigrants,” Deegan said. “We probably have more immigrants than most cities in the country, and a lot of them are frightened right now.”

Elizabeth Stroud, leader of Indivisible Southside, was among the most direct in her demands.

“Donna use your power and influence to speak out against ICE and to do everything in your power to leverage your power to stop ICE from parading around our cities,” Stroud said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released a statement defending its long-standing partnership with ICE through the 287(g) program, saying it helps enforce laws and makes the community safer.

“We are Americans,” one protestor declared. “We are not meant to be made afraid in our own homes, in our own cities.”