Jacksonville, FL protest demands end to deportations

Jacksonville, FL – On Sunday, February 9, over 100 people gathered outside Mariscos El Pacifico, a restaurant in a Jacksonville neighborhood with a large immigrant population, to show support and solidarity with the immigrant community.

The protest, organized by the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA), brought together a diverse coalition of activists, families, students and labor unionists to demand an end to deportations and the persecution of immigrant neighbors.

The event highlighted growing concerns over the close collaboration between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, as well as the erosion of sanctuary protections in schools and places of worship. Protesters also voiced their support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and criticized President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which have fueled anti-immigrant policies and fear within the community.

The protest was a vibrant display of unity, with attendees waving signs and flags, chanting, and drawing honks of support from passing cars, trucks and buses. Many vehicles displayed small flags representing countries in Central and South America, symbolizing the cultural ties that bind Jacksonville’s immigrant community.

Maria Garcia, a representative of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, delivered a powerful speech, declaring, “Immigrants are our neighbors. They are sown into the fabric of our city. And we must keep showing up to reject these backwards policies. We have a responsibility to protect our neighbors!” Her words resonated with the crowd, which responded with chants of “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (“The people united will never be defeated!”) and “From Palestine to Mexico, all these walls have got to go.”

Monica Martinez, also a representative of JIRA, a public school teacher and first generation Venezuelan immigrant, stated, “Este último mes, ha sido un mes fuerte para mis estudiantes inmigrantes y americanos. Es evidente de que hay mucha preocupación en las escuelas de todas partes. Desde los adultos, a los estudiantes, y también los padres. Hay mucha inseguridad, cuando las escuelas deben de ser un espacio de aprendizaje y seguridad para nuestros niños. Los niños se merecen ir a recibir sus estudios sin miedo de que ICE vaya a detenerlos para deportar a sus familias.” Martinez explained the harmful impact that these policies have had on her immigrant students and families.

The protest also saw participation from other local organizations, including the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, and the University of North Florida’s Students for a Democratic Society. The diverse turnout reflected the broad coalition of support for immigrant rights, with working people, parents, children, elders and students standing shoulder to shoulder and demanding an end to the deportations, for legalization for all, the termination of attacks against immigrants, and the protection of DACA.

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