Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are making the rounds in Jacksonville, and a city official is advising her Instagram followers on how to avoid arrest and how to react if they are taken into custody.
Yanira Cardona, the city’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator appointed by Mayor Donna Deegan, says people who are taken in should “comply,” but they should have a plan because “they’re out in Jacksonville.”
“We are living in very difficult times, but my best advice is: 1. Have a plan in place with your lawyers. 2. Give someone you trust power of attorney for your business and your children. 3. If you are stopped by law enforcement, please cooperate and follow their instructions/orders,” she wrote Wednesday, with a video explaining where people should be most careful.
The video was posted during business hours on a weekday and appears to be filmed in an office in City Hall, though the barking of a dog at one point suggests that may not be the case.
“ICE is out and about,” she said. “They are doing speed traps. They are, they’ve been seen on Emerson, on Beach Boulevard, on Atlantic and on the highway. They are targeting, literally, they’re targeting any lawn care companies, any AC company construction vans. They’re literally stopping them just to make sure that they have their paperwork.”
“I wish I could do more, and I wish I could say more. But this is the best I could do,” Cardona added.
We have reached out to the Mayor’s Office to see if this video was officially sanctioned, if it was filmed on city property with public resources, and if Cardona’s post on her private Instagram account reflects the city’s official position.
