We, the undersigned residents of Alachua County, believe in due process, public safety, and the dignity of every person. As a diverse community that relies on, and is made up of, thousands of immigrants, we care about all our neighbors, our families, and the places we call home.

We stand in opposition to the presence of a Department of Homeland Security - ICE administrative office in Gainesville, or anywhere else in Alachua County, and we reject the participation of Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and all other local law enforcement agencies in our county in 287(g) agreements that deputize state and local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration enforcement.

Therefore, we request that elected leaders of the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commissions immediately and publicly:

1. Announce opposition to ICE offices in Gainesville or Alachua County, as was recently done in Orange County;[1]

2. Reiterate the Commission’s commitment to immigrant safety and inclusion as outlined in the Gainesville/Alachua Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion (GINI) Blueprint for Immigrant Inclusion;[2]

3. Advocate that the Gainesville Police Department continues to serve the best interests of the community, public safety, and their department by not signing onto a 287(g) agreement;

4. Speak out against the indiscriminate and destructive arrests of our neighbors, joining the voices of countless community members and even recent critique from DeSantis-appointed sheriffs of Florida’s own State Board of Immigration Enforcement;[3] and

5. Develop policies to require that all ICE officials working within the county display identification of their name and federal affiliation and be unmasked—no secret policing.[4]

We demand immediate action by the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commissions! 
 

[1] https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2026/03/11/orange-county-commissioners-approve-resolution-opposing-the-use-of-warehouses-for-ice-detention-facilities-in-the-county 
[2] https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2022/09/14/gainesville-immigrant-neighbor-inclusion-initiative-shows-progress/10367263002/ 
[3] https://cbs12.com/newsletter-daily/florida-sheriffs-criticize-federal-mass-deportation-efforts-immigration-customs-enforcement-criminal-immigrants-trump-grady-judge-desantis 
[4] https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2212/text