A 41-year-old mother of four pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to punching a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and kicking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and will have three years of supervised release.

Florida’s controversial immigration detention center, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” is expected to close as early as June, according to a report from The New York Times.

The Supreme Court’s term is packed — birthright citizenship, presidential removals, voting rules, transgender sports and more. Constitutional law expert Rod Sullivan joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton on this week’s episode of Politics & Power to discuss what’s at stake and why it matters to you.

Undocumented immigrants would be barred from admission to state colleges under a proposed rule by the Florida Department of Education.

Residents in Bradford County are pushing back against a proposal that could bring another immigration detention facility to Northeast Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 991 — the state’s version of the federal SAVE Act on Wednesday at The Villages, expanding on years of election integrity reforms and positioning Florida as a national model at a moment when birthright citizenship is being debated at the highest levels of the U.S. government.

A series of rallies and gatherings this week outside the Federal Courthouse in Jacksonville aims to draw attention to a Venezuelan woman’s months-long immigration case.

Immigration enforcement remains a central divisive issue as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

With the rising cost of living on many people’s minds these days, it’s not surprising that half of likely midterm election voters believe the most important issue Florida is facing is affordability, according to a recent poll from the Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) at the University of North Florida.

Jacksonville city officials recently submitted documents to the Florida attorney general’s office following a criminal subpoena related to immigration enforcement.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday announced that he sent a “criminal subpoena” to the administration of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, questioning the city’s immigration enforcement.

A new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office that handles legal proceedings could open in downtown Jacksonville amid nationwide expansion efforts, according to a new report by WIRED.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday announced that he sent a “criminal subpoena” to the administration of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, questioning the city’s immigration enforcement.

A Florida immigration attorney is raising concerns about what she describes as widespread overcrowding, delays and civil rights violations inside the state’s immigration detention system.

Macario Pablo-Reyes, 49, has been held for weeks at the Baker County Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, sometimes referred to as the “Deportation Depot.”

Dozens of high schoolers at Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville walked out of their lunch periods Thursday to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), gathering on the school’s football field with signs and chanting “ICE out.”

Families of detainees in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can track their location online, but for those housed at “Deportation Depot” or “Alligator Alcatraz,” it may take longer to appear in the system. However, a new Florida bill aims to change that.

Border Czar Tom Homan will hold a news conference Thursday morning in Minneapolis amid rising tensions over immigration enforcement.

Byron Donalds, Florida Representative and GOP candidate for governor endorsed by President Donald Trump, recently discussed key issues shaping the state’s future, including immigration enforcement, property taxes, and vaccination policies.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will give remarks on Tuesday morning at the Florida Sheriffs’ Association 2026 Winter Conference in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A woman accused of punching a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper and kicking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during a traffic stop on Beach Boulevard is set to appear in court Monday morning for a detention hearing.

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.

A woman accused of punching a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper and kicking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during a traffic stop on Beach Boulevard last week will appear for a detention hearing Thursday afternoon after she was indicted this week by a federal grand jury.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released Wednesday the arrest report of a woman accused of punching a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper and kicking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer at a parking lot on Beach Boulevard last week.

The State Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has revealed new details involving the arrest of a Jacksonville woman who was recently arrested following an encounter between her, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE).

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.

A woman was arrested Tuesday after she punched a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper in the face during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) on Beach Boulevard, according to Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Bradford County’s plan to convert a vacant warehouse into an immigration detention center has passed its first major step.

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.

A woman was arrested Tuesday after she punched a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper in the face during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) on Beach Boulevard, according to Attorney General James Uthmeier.

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.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is holding a press conference Thursday on the Trump administration’s latest immigration efforts.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday almost 3,000 undocumented immigrants have been flown out of Baker County’s “Deportation Depot” since it opened in early September.

Florida is known for making headlines across the country, and 2025 was no exception.

Jacksonville detectives have investigated more than 220 overdose deaths in 2025 and have arrested 17 drug dealers on manslaughter charges in connection with some of those cases, Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Tuesday.

Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia announces eight new bills targeting illegal immigration, including restrictions on financial services, licensing, and employment. Local law enforcement pledges support for enhanced enforcement measures.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has fired back at a lawsuit filed by Democratic lawmakers seeking access to a controversial immigrant-detention center in the Everglades, saying they don’t have a legal right to enter the facility “at their pleasure.”

Two Florida lawmakers filed new legislation on Thursday that would require law enforcement and immigration officers to display visible identification and prohibit the use of face coverings during public enforcement actions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will speak at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) news conference in Miramar on Thursday morning.

State university leaders in January will tackle Gov. Ron DeSantis’ directive to end the use of H-1B visas that allow foreigners to be hired faculty, the university system’s Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said Thursday.

Marie Ange Blaise and others who have died in ICE custody were honored in one of the altars that were featured at the 9th Annual Día de los Muertos event held at James Weldon Johnson Park in Jacksonville.

After New York City elected Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood invited New Yorkers to move to the Sunshine State.

A new University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) poll found that housing costs and property taxes are the most important problems facing Florida.

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia will hold a news conference Tuesday to talk about funding for immigration enforcement.

For years, David Morales and his wife, María, have been committed not only to serving Mexican food but also to participating in events meant to uplift the local Hispanic community. However, Morales said one of those events had to be canceled this year due to concerns about immigration enforcement.

Jacksonville organizations on Saturday traveled to the Baker County immigration center to protest.

A Cuban-American woman who spoke to News4JAX said that her husband was taken into custody in Broward County. She said she and her husband spent time living in Jacksonville and Miami.

Ron DeSantis appeared on Fox News last night and announced that the Deportation Depot in Baker County is now open.

A federal appeals court panel has put on hold a lower court judge’s order to wind down operations of the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will hold a news conference in Louisana Wednesday to announce the opening of a new immigration detention facility dubbed ‘Camp 47′.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the controversial immigration detention site in South Florida, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” is still operating and continuing with deportations, despite a judge issuing an order for the facility to shut down.

Florida’s attorney general announced on Monday that all trucking weigh stations will now serve as immigration checkpoints.

Florida’s attorney general announced on Monday that all trucking weigh stations will now serve as immigration checkpoints.

Florida State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) expressed frustration and disappointment on Thursday after hearing the news of the planned new immigration detention center set to open soon at the Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson.

News4JAX obtained a copy of two complaints that detail the experiences both detainees said they had while housed in solitary confinement in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Baker County Detention Center.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that he authorized the opening of an immigration detention center at the Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson, shifting plans away from the previously considered site at Camp Blanding.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and state officials are holding a news conference to announce the indictment of Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the H-1B visa program during a news conference on Monday, criticizing how certain tech companies lay off American workers only to replace them with H-1B visa holders.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference Friday morning at the immigration center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” in the Florida Everglades.

Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ administration has already signed contracts to pay at least $245 million to set up and run the new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to a public database.

Florida’s top emergency official asked a federal judge on Monday to resist a request by environmentalists to halt an immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the middle of the Florida Everglades because their lawsuit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction.

Detainees held at Florida’s controversial immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” are suing the Trump administration, alleging inhumane conditions and unlawful confinement.

A little-known consulting firm with ties to a prominent Jacksonville business leader landed a $78 million contract earlier this month to provide a raft of critical services at a pop-up immigration detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve, which Florida officials have aggressively marketed as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to a report from The Tributary, a Jacksonville nonprofit newsroom.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday he wants the detention facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” to be at full capacity before moving forward with the plans to turn Camp Blanding into an immigration detention site.

United States Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), and a bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced to Congress on Tuesday a new version of the “Dignity Act”.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Jacksonville on Friday to oppose plans for a new immigration detention facility at Camp Blanding, marking the latest pushback against Florida’s expanding detention infrastructure.

Florida State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) is calling for more transparency regarding the planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at Camp Blanding in Clay County.

About one week after Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) said she was denied access to the controversial immigration facility in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” the local politician said she has now been invited for a “tour” of the facility.

The Trump administration Monday argued a federal appeals court should overturn a district judge’s ruling that blocked a new Florida law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter the state.

Construction is expected to begin soon on a new ICE detention center in Clay County. The site at Camp Blanding near the Clay County-Bradford County line is being developed to hold about 2,000 people awaiting immigration hearings or deportation, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, said on Thursday she was denied access to the newly opened immigration detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” in South Florida.

After the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center officially opened on Tuesday, attention has shifted to the planned facility at Camp Blanding in Clay County, which could begin construction as early as next week.

About two months later, data released by the New York Times shows that Florida is continuing its promise to aggressively enforce President Trump’s immigration policies, with ICE making nearly 10,000 arrests in the state since Trump took office.

Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that the ICE detention site planned at Camp Blanding will be able to house 2,000 detainees.

As Florida rushed to open a detention center for undocumented immigrants in the Everglades, attorneys for the state Monday argued a judge should reject an attempt by environmental groups to halt the project dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

President Donald Trump is expected to attend the formal opening Tuesday of a new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed on Monday.

Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed using Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard’s headquarters in Clay County, as a potential site for a new immigration detention facility — an idea that has sparked mixed reactions among local residents.

Another set of nationwide protests were planned to take place on Thursday at courthouses and town squares, including in Duval County, with an overall focus on immigration and deportations.

After Gov. Ron DeSantis named Camp Blanding Joint Training Center an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, a few residents sounded off about the possible new addition.

A Jacksonville councilman, who authored a controversial bill that aimed to ban the use of city funds for services to support undocumented immigrants, condemned the mayor’s decision to veto the proposed legislation.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in Clay County is among the locations being considered for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan vetoed a bill on Tuesday that aims to block city funds from being used to support undocumented immigrants.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is proposing to build a large immigrant detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades.

With thousands of protests planned across the country on Saturday, Jacksonville officials urged residents to keep the protests peaceful.

With thousands of protests planned across the country on Saturday, Jacksonville officials urged residents to keep the protests peaceful.

‘No Kings’ is a nationwide day of defiance, peaceful protests are expected

More than a dozen people were detained in a raid conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach early Thursday morning, according to the Fernandina Observer.

Mayor Donna Deegan’s office issued a statement saying she has concerns about the immigration bill that was passed on Tuesday night.

Community members packed Jacksonville City Hall Tuesday night to voice opposition to a proposed immigration policy that would require the disclosure of undocumented immigrants living in city-controlled public housing.

Jacksonville City Council will discuss new rules to prevent disruptions during meetings, following a May incident that led to three arrests. A protest today calls for dropped charges and the rejection of a controversial ordinance.

A federal appeals court Friday kept on hold a new Florida law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter the state, rejecting arguments by Attorney General James Uthmeier that enforcement should at least temporarily be allowed.

A Jacksonville councilman expressed his disapproval of a bill moving forward in the city council that aims to prohibit the use of city funds for services to people living in the country illegally.

A proposed ordinance that aims to prohibit the use of city funds for services to people living in the country illegally is moving forward in the city council.

A social media post made by the Jacksonville City Council president on Thursday sparked questions about police enforcement of local and state immigration laws in the city.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference in Tampa Monday morning to discuss the state’s crackdown in illegal immigration.

Amid the nation’s immigration crackdown, local law enforcement agencies across the country have increased their efforts to locate individuals living here illegally.

A recent wave of hundreds of illegal immigrant arrests in Florida has one immigration attorney’s clients on edge as they legally navigate the citizenship process.

Efforts in Florida to enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration policy recently reached new heights as Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it arrested nearly 800 illegal immigrants as part of a “massive, multi-agency, immigration enforcement crackdown.”

Authorities say more than 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody during a raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Jacksonville Today reader Susan A. is curious how the local immigration ordinance works, and whether police can use it to stop anyone and demand proof of citizenship.