After Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez buckled to President Donald Trump‘s threats to keep federal funds from “sanctuary cities” 
and he issued his directive to have illegal immigrants with federal detention orders held by county corrections officers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, immigration activists and their friends have protested at County Hall — twice.
But on Tuesday, the mayor’s supporters — or Trump’s supporters, same thing — say they will make themselves heard at what they call a “counter protest.”
It all points to what could be a powderkeg public comments session at the commission meeting, even though painstaking efforts were made to avoid it.
Read related story: Protesters have demands for Carlos Gimenez on sanctuary
The about-face on county policy — set in a 2013 resolution — is not on Tuesday’s county commission agenda. Chairman Esteban “Stevie” Bovo has called a special meeting on Feb. 17 — maybe precisely because he knew that a lot of people would show up. But, at the same time, he should have known that people don’t want to wait that long to talk about something that is already affecting lives. According to the Miami Herald, at least 27 people have been detained in county jails for ICE requests since the Gimenez directive.
So both supporters and opponents of the mayor’s move Jan. 26 have promised to go to the commission meeting Tuesday and let the mayor know how they feel anyway.
“Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has caved to Donald Trump and ordered local police to enforce immigration 
detention orders,” says the Facebook event invitation urging folks to “tell Gimenez to reject Trump.”
“It’s up to us to show him we want to keep immigrants safe! Join us at the February 7th County Commission as we tell Gimenez and the commissioners to protect our immigrant families. We will not be silent. We will not be ignored. We will organize. We will be heard. We will win. We will be a sanctuary.”
The counter protest to “support law and order at Mayor Gimenez office” is organized by local Trump volunteers and Hispanas por Trump.
It looks like the Trumpettes are going to be outnumbered, though: On the Facebook events — which, admittedly, are not scientific projections — we have 231 people going to tell Gimenez off and 70 going to support him.
How much you wanna bet the county gets extra security for Tuesday?
Looming face off at County Hall over sanctuary switch added by Ladra on
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