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Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday after a Jacksonville official was placed on administrative leave for warning people about their presence in the city.
The City of Jacksonville’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, was placed on administrative leave, after she said on an Instagram livestream Wednesday that ICE was placing “speed traps” around the city and named specific roads to watch out for.
When Fox News Digital reached DeSantis’ office for comment, it referred to a press conference the governor held on Thursday, where he vowed to uphold the rule of law.
“I know you had that one woman in the city of Jacksonville government putting out information. Look, that’s not the way we roll here in the state of Florida. You know, we’re going to respect law enforcement, respect the rule of law,” DeSantis said Thursday.
DeSantis added that Jennifer Cruz, a woman accused of assaulting ICE agents while on duty, would face “consequences.”
“I do know there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers. Let me just tell you guys, this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida,” he said.
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Cardona added that “ICE is out and about” and is targeting lawn care and A/C companies while checking for paperwork.
She said that “unfortunately, this isn’t the time to fight” and advised her viewers to comply if addressed by authorities.
“The best advice that I could give you guys is if you don’t need to go out, stay home,” Cardona said. “Just comply, have a plan in place, and rely on the universe ’cause we’re here.”
In the same Instagram post, Cardona wrote additional guidance on how to handle increased immigration enforcement.
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“We are living in very difficult times but my best advice is 1. Have a plan in place with your lawyers 2. Give someone you trust legal power for your business and your children 3. If you get pulled over, please pay attention and follow the instructions/orders.”
The City of Jacksonville told Fox News Digital that the “general locations shared in her video were common knowledge from community sightings already reported on news stories and social media.” City officials also referred to comments made by Deegan at a press conference discussing the matter on Thursday night.
“We are a city of immigrants. We probably have more immigrants than most cities in the country. And a lot of them are frightened right now. They’re having a very difficult time. They’re seeing what’s happening around the country. They’ve seen American citizens sometimes being detained and arrested. They are seeing some violence. They’re worried. They’re scared,” Deegan said.
Deegan explained further that Cardona being placed on administrative leave had nothing to do with the “content of what came out of her mouth.”
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“I don’t have any problem. We checked with the general counsel’s office. Nothing that she shared said anything about anyone who was here illegally. It was simply giving the community information that was freely available and also giving information about their legal rights,” Deegan said. She continued, “Get representation. Make sure you have a plan. She said a dozen times, if you are stopped, comply. So, it wasn’t the content of what she said that I took issue with. The reason that she was put on administrative leave is because we have a policy in this city.”
“We’ve got a mayor who is the spokesperson for the city, and we have people who follow the policy that if you are going to create any sort of social media content, if you are going to make any sort of commentary, especially in this office, that would be construed as coming from the mayor—That has to come through me or through our communications office. Period.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Cardona for comment.
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