Democrat council members held hands as they cried during a town meeting to decide whether police in Florida should conduct immigration enforcement operations.
Fort Myers city council members were split three votes to three over the matter, which would have seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers train their own local authorities.
In a tearful exchange, councilwoman Darla Bonk said: ‘It is a tumultuous day and age, and it is a day that I hate sitting in this seat, but my city is not for sale.’
She gripped her colleague, Diana Giraldo’s hand as both women sniffled and wiped away tears, before burying her head in her hands.
Giraldo then said: ‘I can’t stand behind this as an immigrant, the only immigrant sitting in this council.
‘Although this isn’t about me, I have been in that position, and I can’t even express how heavy this is in my heart and in my mind, knowing that the majority of us that come as immigrants, we don’t come here to commit crimes.’
The deadlock halted the motion, and Mayor Kevin Anderson, who voted in favor of the proposal, expressed fears it could impact state and federal funding.
Fort Myers city council members were split three votes to three over the matter, which would have seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers train their own local authorities. Darla Bonk (second from right) was so emotional she buried her head in her hands at one stage
She gripped her colleague, Diana Giraldo’s hand as both women sniffled and wiped away tears, before burying her head in her hands
‘We have jeopardized hundreds of millions of dollars worth of grant money,’ he said.
‘This is grant money that we depend upon, and if we’re willing to sacrifice this grant money for people who don’t have the legal right to be here, the burden of replacing that grant money, if we want these programs to continue or these projects to continue, is going to fall on our taxpayers.’
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier vowed to launch a full investigation into the matter, warning: ‘These council members actions likely run afoul of Florida Statute.
‘In Florida, we will not let local governments obstruct our mission to support the federal government in combatting illegal immigration.’
But the women expressed concerns about the broader ramifications and possible fallout of racial profiling.
It comes as immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra was reportedly detained by ICE on Monday morning.
The mother-of-four arrived in the United States without proper documentation in 1997, traveling from Mexico City.
In the two decades since arriving, she has sought a path to citizenship. Vizguerra was first scheduled for deportation in 2017 but sought refuge in a church in Denver.
It comes as immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra was reportedly detained by ICE on Monday morning
The mother-of-four arrived in the United States without proper documentation in 1997, traveling from Mexico City
The Biden administration later granted Vizguerra a stay of deportation in 2021.
Upon his return to the White House, Trump enacted a new executive order which rescinded guidelines preventing officers from entering ‘sensitive locations’ like churches, schools and hospitals to make arrests.
Vizguerra had warned ‘everybody is at risk’ after Trump’s return to office.
‘Whatever place. I don’t care if it’s a hospital, I don’t care if it’s a school, I don’t care if it’s a church… I don’t care if some people have 40, 50 years here.’
Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet said Vizguerra is ‘a mother and pillar in her community’ in a post condemning her arrest.
‘I am deeply concerned about ICE’s actions to detain her without any due process, like a deportation order. ICE should ensure Jeanette has legal counsel and immediately release her.’
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston also weighed in, arguing: ‘This is not immigration.
Her detention sparked a protest outside an ICE detention center in Aurora where her family said she is being held
Buses left the facility in the morning, raising fears that she would be deported, but her family said Vizguerra was still there later in the day
‘This is Soviet-style, political persecution of political dissidents under the guise of immigration enforcement. This a mom of American citizens who works at Target. This is not something that makes our community safer.’
But an ICE spokesman said Vizguerra has two misdemeanor convictions.
In 2009, she was pulled over at a traffic stop and found to be driving without a license.
It was later discovered she used a fake social security number in order to get her work documents, the spokesman said.
Her detention sparked a protest outside an ICE detention center in Aurora where her family said she is being held.
Buses left the facility in the morning, raising fears that she would be deported, but her family said Vizguerra was still there later in the day.
