Immigrant-Rights Activists Present Anti-ICE Petition to Gainesville City Commission
On Thursday, activists organized by the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI) spoke to the Gainesville City Commission during public comment and presented a petition in support of a resolution that upholds the rights of local immigrants.
GINI coordinator Ethan Maia de Needell said that elected officials need to take on protecting immigrant neighbors amid escalations by the federal and state governments. “Our state leads the country in immigration arrests… This is done and facilitated through agreements between ICE and our local and state law enforcement agencies, predominantly Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), and the creation of detention centers and offices throughout our state. When it came to our attention that ICE is not only seeking to create a warehouse detention center in Starke but also recently released a request for information into potential office spaces here in Gainesville, we created [a] petition… We have gathered over 2,5000 signatures from City of Gainesville residents…”
Maia de Needell read the resolution aloud to the commissioners:
“We, the undersigned residents of Alachua County in Gainesville, believe in due process, public safety, and the dignity of every person. As a diverse community that relies on and is made up of thousands of immigrants, we care about all of our neighbors, our families, and the places we call home. We as a community stand in opposition to the presence of a DHS ICE administrative office here in Gainesville, or anywhere else in Alachua County, and we reject the participation of the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and all other local and state law enforcement agencies in our country in 287(g) agreements that deputize state and local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration enforcement. Therefore, we request that city leaders [1] announce opposition to ICE offices in Gainesville as was recently done in Orange County… [2] Reiterate the commission’s commitment to immigrant safety as outlined in the [GINI] blueprint… [3] Advocate that the Gainesville Police Department continue to serve the best interest of the community, public safety, and their department by not signing onto a 287 (g) agreement… [4] Speak out against the indiscriminate and destructive arrests of our neighbors, joining the voices of countless community members and even the recent critique from DeSantis-appointed sheriffs of Florida’s own State Board of Immigration Enforcement… [5] Develop policies that secure all of our neighbors.”
History Professor Warren Goldstein, representing the United Church of Gainesville (UCG), spoke in support of the petition. “UCG has been an active and committed participant in the community-wide effort to support families affected by forced separation,” he said.
Goldstein recalled an incident where a local immigrant was stopped by FHP for allegedly not using her turn signal early enough. Goldstein told the commission that the woman had a valid driver’s license, no criminal background, and a pending asylum case. Goldstein said that she was arrested and taken to jail, where she was later picked up by ICE. Goldstein said the woman had to choose to spend “God knows how much time in one of our state’s nationally notorious immigration detention centers, where human rights abuses are widely reported… Alternatively, she could sign a voluntary departure form and self-deport to the same country that she had fled and from which she was seeking asylum. She did the latter. I’m asking all of you here today to put yourself in [her] shoes. Imagine working and living here in our community, following all legal processes to escape the trauma that forced you to leave, only to be re-traumatized in your new home and then be forced to return somewhere that you already risked your life to leave because you know it's not safe…”
Reverend Catherine Dearlove of the Trinity Metropolitan Community Church shared a story of a local immigrant who was arrested by FHP two days after he turned 18. “He was pulled over by FHP in the middle of the day during some rain," she said. "Despite being one of many others in traffic not to do so, the officer explained he was stopped for not turning on his traffic lights. Despite being his first offense, he was arrested and had an ICE warrant placed on him. He originally arrived in our city as a minor over three years ago with pending asylum. While here, he studied in our district. He made friends with classmates and helped his parents with their work. Now he is facing deportation to a country that he left through no decision of his own, where he will remain separated from his family. These racial profiling stops have got to stop…”
Pastor Rebecca Lawson Putman of Westminster Presbyterian Church said she was “speaking on behalf of our neighbors who can’t be here today to speak for themselves.” Like her preceding speakers, Putman cited another local example of immigration enforcement. She said a work vehicle with five men was stopped by FHP near a gas station just outside the Gainesville city limits. The trooper, whom the men had noticed was following them, reportedly waited for them to finish filling their tank and stopped them when they resumed driving for a faulty brake light.
Putman said that the driver had a valid license and a pending immigration case, but the officer spent roughly an hour demanding to see everyone’s identification. One of the passengers contacted their family, and his 18-year-old daughter arrived on scene to observe the arrest. Putman said the man’s daughter had a traumatic experience seeing her father yell at her to take care of her little sister, among other instructions for their family.
“Imagine the trauma of being an 18-year-old watching her parent being abducted and being told to take care of her 15-year-old sister,” said Putman. “At least three of the five taken left behind their spouses and children ranging from 14 months to 18 years of age. These men were deported within days, having been ripped from their families without a chance to say goodbye. All have lived and worked in our community for years, some for over a decade. They were taken, having committed no crime, and received no due process. How many more stories of Gainesville families are we unaware of? We need our elected leaders to have the courage to speak out when the rights of its residents and neighbors are being ignored and violated.”
Putman talked about a similar incident where an entire painting crew was arrested by FHP on their way to a job. The business owner was among those arrested and deported. This left his family with no choice but to shut it down, lay off the employees, and leave Gainesville. “Their children had to leave the only home they had ever known and go back to their parents’ home country and hope they will be reunited with their father soon," Putman said. She emphasized that mass deportations do not just affect those deported but everyone in the community.
GINI member and Rural Women’s Health Project Director Veronica Robleto said their organization was contacted because a crew of H-2A temporary agricultural workers were doing farm work in the local area. Robleto said one of their volunteers contacted the workers to tell them about how FHP is deputized by ICE. The workers responded cheerfully, thanking them for the information but saying they “were fine” since they had their visas.
“Sadly, the very next day, a band of them that was on their way to Walmart to get some groceries in the evening was stopped by [FHP],” said Robleto. “All of them were asked for their documentation. They did not know the reason they were stopped. They were pulled out of the vehicle and handcuffed one to the other, and everyone had to show their documentation. Two of that group were arrested and taken to our local jail with no criminal charge. One of them we know is in Texas already, awaiting deportation. The other one, we cannot find. They literally have been disappeared. We don’t know where they are. We know they are in ICE detention. One of our volunteers came back the next day, and the demeanor of that crew was very different. They looked terrorized and terrified… In the past they used to carry their visas on them. We had to inform them that unfortunately, just carrying any document that is not from the United States, it does not protect you. It’s actually a risk to you now even though it’s proving your status; FHP will tell you it's fake, and you’ll end up in ICE detention.”
Minister Jennifer Rich of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church talked about a recent visit she took to Baker Correctional Facility, where she got the opportunity to speak with a number of individuals detained by ICE. She explained that this is a part of the Interfaith Friends of Baker group and they met face-to-face with detained immigrants.
Rich said there are at least 2,000 people in the Baker Correctional Facility who’ve been detained by ICE. “They call them detainees,” she said. “They don’t call them prisoners because they don’t have any rights. We had at least three hours of conversation with over 100 people… I heard numerous stories, and all of them came down to one thing: the governor of the state has weaponized the FHP. Every single story I’ve heard from every single person had something to do with an illegal traffic stop.”
Rich recalled a local landscaper being stopped in his company vehicle by FHP last August and arrested. “He was not given a reason for the stop,” she said. “The driver and the co-worker… were racially profiled and arrested simply because they were immigrants. The driver had an authorization permit, a pending asylum claim and a valid driver’s license. He was a co-owner of a family business and has a ten-year-old daughter. At the time of his arrest, his wife was eight-months pregnant with her second child. During the traffic stop, the FHP officer told him that his license was fake and his and his asylum claim was illegal.”
Following public comment, Commissioner Casey Willits said he’d look into the petition before they discuss it again on July 16 but indicated that he agrees with its values.
Commissioner Bryan Eastman said, “There’s no question that what we hear from our community members, what we see in our community—it's awful. There are a lot of stories of people that have been abused by the system. But for every one of those, I know there are ten other folks that are scared about them being the next one that’s being taken. It’s not really the kind of story you hear as much unless you’re close with someone… Our community is so heavily dependent on bringing the brightest minds from all around the world here to do the best in research… We are uniquely susceptible to having our community be taken over by fear. I think that’s true across Florida… Our state is choosing to go back on what has been able to grow our state up until this point, whether it's trying to destroy the services of local governments, or it's trying to kick people out that grow our many, many industries and make our community what it is.”
Commissioner James Ingle said he is sometimes hesitant to commit to actions like resolutions because he’s worried they are “more performative than effective.” Ingle said he worries the resolution may bring more scrutiny and immigration enforcement to the local area, but said if the “people [who] are out there doing [the] work” want to pass it then he's supportive.
Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker said she identifies with many of the speakers and that many are her "friends" and “comrades” who she has worked, fought and marched with. She said, “Your voices are so critical in this moment… To piggyback off of what Commissioner Ingle was saying, I think it is so important for us to move beyond those things that are performative. I’m not gonna talk too much about some things that are in my head but I will say I appreciate the work that you continue to do. I’m really looking forward to a very robust conversation on [July] 16 when we come back, and really figuring how we move towards making this city what we all need it to be. One thing that is not lost on me as an African-American is the way that history has a way of repeating itself. That is if we allow it… What happens on [July] 16 is going to be very important. I think you’ve heard some alluding to the idea that the city is facing some real tough decisions in terms of what our budget will look like. There are things that I think we can discuss reasonably about how we move towards what our responsibilities are, which are to keep everybody safe.”
Commissioner Ed Book said he’s had “some long-standing relationships with GINI members” and that they "haven't always agreed but [have] always gotten together in ways that were respected, compassionate and treated each other with dignity, even when [we differ on] a particular item.”
“Respect, dignity, compassion, courtesy… I think we’re doing that,” said Book. “Not perfect, but I think we’re doing that very well in the City of Gainesville.”
Book said he thinks it’s telling that the examples provided by speakers are of other agencies and not local law enforcement.
Book continued, “I hope this is felt by most of our community… That local law enforcement—Gainesville Police—Alachua County Sheriff’s Office—and both the University [of Florida] and [Santa Fe] College, treat each other in a way that has respected the rights of others for many, many years. We have a tremendous, I think, community policing relationship… That’s important, and I do want that to continue… When I look at the resolution, there are some things in here that I’m completely uncomfortable with, and they’re mostly opinion statements towards the end, but that’s why we’ll come back on July 16, and it’s why both Commissioner Duncan-Walker and Commissioner Ingle had said, ‘are there ways that we unify that don’t necessarily put us out in front of things that may or may not be felt by an entire community?'"
Mayor Harvey Ward pointed to one of the "whereas" statements on the resolution that reads, "Whereas a primary objective of the City of Gainesville is to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of its residents, businesses, workforce, and visitors." Ward then said, "Harm reduction is the thing I’m most concerned with in this regard, and I don’t want us to do something that brings more harm to the community than is already here."
On Tuesday, June 23, GINI plans to undertake a similar effort at the Alachua County Commission meeting. According to their Instagram, GINI delivered county commissioners the petition in May, but the vote has been postponed.
