City of Jacksonville employee placed on administrative leave after posting video on recent reports of ICE raids

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The City of Jacksonville said one of its employees has been placed on administrative leave after she posted a video on Wednesday talking about recent reports of increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across the area.

On Thursday, the city told News4JAX Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, the city’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, was placed on administrative leave while officials review the matter. In the video, posted on Instagram, Cardona addresses the recent reports about increased ICE enforcement across Northeast Florida.

“If you get pulled over, as much as we want to huff and puff, please comply,” Cardona said in the video.

In the video, Cardona also asked families to have a plan in case they get arrested and to “stay home” if there’s no need to go outside.

“They are out stopping people. They are doing speed traps. They’re stopping people in vans. They’re stopping people in construction vans and lawn care vans. They’re targeting specifically Hispanic and non-American businesses,” Cardona said.

RELATED: Deegan says employee was placed on leave for policy violation, not for discussing reported increased ICE presence

Mayor Donna Deegan addressed the situation, stating that she was clearing up misinformation caused by an “unfortunate distraction” that forced her to step away from working for the Jacksonville community.

Deegan made it clear that she disagreed with Cardona’s actions while emphasizing that she did not have an issue with the content in the video.

“Nothing that she shared said anything about anyone who is here illegally. It was simply giving the community information that was freely available, and also giving information about their legal rights,” Deegan said.

“There was nothing she said that was illegal,” she continued, stating that Cardona’s comments came from a place of “compassion.”

Deegan also confirmed that Cardona was in her office and working when she made the controversial video.

“The reason she was put on administrative leave because we have a policy in the city. We have a mayor who is the spokesperson for the city, and we have people who follow policy that if you are going to create any social media content. [...] that can be misconstrued as coming from the mayor, that has to come through me or our communications office,” Deegan said.

It’s a policy that the mayor said Cardona repeatedly violated.

When asked if she would part ways with Cardona, the mayor said, “She’s going to have to decide if this is something she can do. Hopefully, she will decide that she can live by those rules because I would hate to lose her, honestly.”

She emphasized that all parties — including ICE agents and immigrants — must adhere to the law.

“People need to follow the law, and that includes everybody,” Deegan said.

Deegan said her office has not determined when Cardona’s administrative leave would end.

Cardona’s remarks have also drawn attention from state officials, such as Attorney General James Uthmeier, who took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to condemn the comments made in the video.

Kiyan Michael, Representative of Florida’s State House District 16, also responded to the remarks made in the video.

The Chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County also put out a statement, calling for Cardona to be fired.

“Using a taxpayer-funded position to spread misinformation or interfere with lawful law enforcement is unacceptable and fundamentally incompatible with public service,” Charles Barr said in a statement on Thursday. “Administrative leave is not sufficient. If these actions are confirmed, Ms. Cardona should be permanently removed from her position.”

This week, conversations about the presence of ICE in Northeast Florida have ramped up after dozens of community members, especially in the Hispanic community, have reported a notable increase in immigration-related arrests.

On Wednesday evening, immigration attorney Andrea Reyes held a livestream via Facebook to address the recent reported ICE raids that have taken place across the area and to inform people about their rights.

“I am hosting this livestream on behalf of those who have been detained, those who are still detained, and for our people who are living with so much fear,” Reyes said in Spanish as she struggled to hold back the tears. “I want us to be aware that this is not going to change overnight, with $170 billion... things are only going to get worse.”

The Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance sent out a statement denouncing the surge in ICE sightings and calling for the community to come together.

For the past several days, a wave of immigration raids has terrorized Jacksonville and the surrounding area.

This escalation, empowered by local 287(g) agreements between JSO and immigration enforcement, has brought targeted operations to our schools, paralyzed local businesses as patrons fear leaving home, and created an atmosphere of raw panic. Our neighbors are left to deal with the fallout—families torn apart, incomes lost, and lives thrown into crisis as loved ones are detained.

JIRA stands in unwavering solidarity with every immigrant resident, worker, and family enduring this brutality. We call on all people of conscience in Jacksonville to stand with us.

The state’s strategy is fear. Our answer is organized action.

Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA)

News4JAX has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) multiple times in the last two days to get more information regarding the reported increased ICE presence in the area, as well as the number of arrests, but it has not responded to our requests.