Jacksonville protestors bash ICE operations, demand city employee who posted controversial video be reinstated

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Protestors organized on Friday outside Jacksonville’s City Hall downtown to condemn recent operations by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanded that a city employee who was placed on leave following a controversial video be reinstated.

Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, the city’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, was placed on administrative leave due to violating policy after warning residents of reported ICE operations in a viral Facebook Live video. The Duval GOP is calling for her to be fired. Mayor Donna Deegan said she was placed on leave simply for violating policy and not for the content of the video that sparked controversy and captured the attention of state leaders. Basically, Deegan said, she communicated a message that wasn’t cleared by the Mayor’s Office and did it while she was on the clock.

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.

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.”

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.”

Organizers disagreed with the decision and asked Deegan to reinstate Cardona.

“We want ICE to stop terrorizing our city and we want her [Deegan] to stand with us,” they said. “Yaya has done a lot for our city, a whole lot, yeah, she’s got a big mouth, me too.”

Another said that Deegan should have been the first to speak out against ICE.

“If she loves them then speak for them, fight for them,” a protestor said. “We have to defend them we have to stand up. Yaya was in the right and I will never ever defend anyone who silents a woman. Put her back in and do better.”

A protester’s sign that read “Anyone but Deegan 2027 A bold city needs a bold leader,” had a list of demands.

“Reinstate Yaya, call on JSO to end 287g (the partnership between the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and ICE), acknowledge the ICE presence in Jacksonville, speak up for the immigrant community, and no more masked ICE,” the sign reads.

Gonzalo Keinick with the Jacksonville Immigrants Alliance spoke about people concerned with ICE’s unmarked presence in Jacksonville.

“With zero identification or accountability...yet ultimately the thing our leader is willing to punish someone streaming in their office with warning of this danger to the people that our government is supposed to protect,” Keinick said.

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

“People need to follow the law, and that includes everybody,” she 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 recent 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.