A state prosecutor has subpoenaed the city of Jacksonville to look for evidence of what the Florida attorney general alleges is immigration enforcement interference by Mayor Donna Deegan’s Hispanic outreach coordinator.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the subpoena in a post Monday on the social media platform X. Uthmeier stated, “If there’s evidence that (Deegan’s) administration coordinated to impede immigration enforcement and harbor criminal aliens, we will hold them accountable!”
A copy of the subpoena obtained by Jacksonville Today through a public records request gives city officials until Feb. 20 to produce emails, text messages, social media communications, and other records of Yanira Cardona — the city’s first Hispanic outreach coordinator.
The criminal investigation comes about two weeks after Cardona returned to work at City Hall after a brief suspension for posting a video that went viral on social media.
In the video, Cardona discussed recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Jacksonville and provided advice on how to navigate interactions with immigration enforcement, emphasizing compliance with officers.
The subpoena compels city officials to produce records including emails (from Jan. 2-16) related to interactions or activities involving U.S. government or Florida law enforcement agents, methods of avoiding contact with them, and specific terms that include 'Nazi', 'Gestapo', 'stormtrooper', 'terrorize', 'Jennifer Cruz', or 'Gamble Scott.'
Melissa Ross, Deegan’s director of strategic initiatives and press liaison, confirmed Cardona remains on the job as the state’s investigation moves forward.
In an emailed statement, the Deegan administration expressed its intent to fully comply with the subpoena and suggested the investigation is politically motivated. City’s chief communications officer, Phil Perry, stated, “Instead of addressing the pocketbook concerns of Floridians, the attorney general is once again on a hyper-partisan fishing expedition.”
The attorney general has ramped up criticism of the Deegan administration, notably amplifying a social media post related to Holocaust Remembrance Day that implied connections between the mayor and contentious imagery.
Uthmeier further stated during a news conference that any local interference with immigration enforcement may violate state law designed to coordinate such activities, emphasizing his office’s intent to hold accountable any wrongdoing.
Reactions from immigrant advocates highlight concerns about the politicization of the issue, with statements indicating that providing information on law enforcement presence does not equate to interference.
