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?
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Didn’t the mayor tell the county corrections department to tell them feds of undocumented immigrants that are already in custody? Unless I missed something (possible), he did not instruct MPD to start asking for papers and jailing undocumented people not breaking another criminal infraction.
Today’s protest at the County Commission was bit of ineffective political theater. The Chairman easily cut off any discussion of the immigration issue because the comments from protesters didn’t relate to an item on the agenda. The protesters should have signed up to speak about the Trump Golf Course deal which was approved at the same Board meeting. Check agenda item 8N3. Protesters missed an opportunity to hit Trump where it hurts — his wallet.
I wonder when not speaking a word of Spanish became a batch of honor or some sort racist pedigree.
By the way, not that I’m in favor of illegal immigration but there are other taxes people pay besides income, social security and Medicare. We have taxes on utilities, gasoline, alcoholic beverages, auto registration, tolls, etc., etc.
Does anyone recall that president Obama deported over 2 million people and was often referred to as the “Deporter in Chief”? Where was the outcry then? again i stress my original point, if people are committing crimes, and happen to be in this country illegally, and the federal government has placed a detention order on them, the right thing to do is to hold them for ICE. There is a process, and the process should be followed. People demonstrating are missing the point, its not about rounding up immigrants like some cattle call, it’s about following law and protecting our beloved county and country.
Barack Obama: The deporter-in-chief
Mehdi Hasan reveals how Obama’s immigration policies have led to millions of deportations.
14 Jan 2017 11:03
There WAS outcry then. Ladra was very critical of Obama not for increasing deportations to a record number, but for being such a two-face about it. And I also chided him on governing by executive order, which is undemocratic. Not here, but elsewhere (we used to contribute to Voxxi.com and other news sites). Remember, this blog post is about a county mayor, not the president (although the similarities are there).
What I don’t understand is why the Trumpettes applaud Donald Trump for the same things they blasted Obama for. Ladra is not the one who changed on Nov. 9.
Woof!
@Lee, please explain how the illegal, without a social security number is paying anything other than sales tax. How is the employer taking out federal taxes without an id number? I’ve lived here longer than your 40 years and don’t speak spanish either. What aspect of immigration are we discussing, other than the illegal aspect? Amazing how quick you are to throw out a xenophob label when someone doesn’t agree with you.
I never said I agreed with all the mayors policies or actions.
Proud American: SO AM I and laws are NOT ‘absolutes.’ Often they are just plain WRONG. Life is lived in the gray area, not black & white. I am born American and don’t speak a lick of Spanish after living here 40 yrs. I don’t support illegal immigration. But life is messy and there aren’t always right and/or wrong answers. CRIMINALS who extort money, hurt others, etc. are who we need to deport not folks living their lives AND PAYING TAXES which most immigrants illegal or not do! I am thrilled wet foot/dry foot was ended but I am not thrilled with what we’re doing to immigrants overall. It is xenophobic and any other explanation simply doesn’t hold water INCUDING YOURS. Humpty Trumpty is going to have a BIG fall from his wall and I for one cannot wait! I wish the same for our lying undemocratic mayor who prefers MURDERING ANIMALS to saving their lives because he refuses to fund the Pet’s Trust we passed in 2012. He is as big a dictator as the Mango Mussolini we have in the oval office. (I call him the Orange Nazi but read that description of him this weekend and fell in love with it!) MANGO MUSSOLNI!! Not POTUS! And Gimenez is our own home grown Fidel Castro! (Who needs to be castrated for not funding The Pet’s Trust.)
Ladra,
You continually try to make your case by using examples of breaking the law. Missing a court hearing for immigration issues are a violation. Again you mention driving without a license. Maybe you should try that reasoning with someone who’s lost a family member to someone driving without a license…..bet it doesn’t go over well. Ivester has a point, these are illegal immigrants. Key word being ILLEGAL. Since when did following the law become wrong?
The irony of this whole thing is that these demonstrations occur as a result of a crackdown on illegal immigration by Gimenez. Yet, he gets a free pass from the media, all law enforcement agencies and the citizens of this county on his absentee ballot fraud of 2012 and the perpetual theft of public monies on county contracts awarded to his lobbyist and contractor friends. Have we forgotten how this despicable mayor attempted to give away our Key Biscayne golf course to Trump? Birds of a feather stick together so nothing to see here.
Please stop referring to these people being detained as immigrants, they are not just immigrants. They are ILLEGAL Immigrants, and the federal government wants them. I am not a fan of Carlos Gimenez, but I think he is doing the right thing detaining Illegal immigrant offenders, or criminals is the proper word, and giving them back to the federal government to be dealt with. Why are Americans, and residents of Miami-Dade County so opposed to having a safer place to live? These people are not being singled out because of their status, and Miami-Dade County is not going to become immigration enforcement, they are simply assisting the federal government by holding these folks, who committed a crime of some sort, which is why they are detained in the first place, so that ICE can come get them. I am not a bigot, or a racist, but I am a law abiding citizen and exceptions should not be made for anyone! I wish people would see the truth behind the issue and not make it more than what it is. And stop using the excuse that these people will not trust police, or not cooperate with them in the future, as they are already not doing these things.
Ivy, honey, don’t get your panties up in a bunch. Ladra did, indeed, write illegal immigrants. Just not in all caps. No need to shout.
But, for your information, detention orders can be placed on illegal immigrants for a variety of reasons, not just because they committed a crime. I know someone who had a detention order once because she missed a hearing on her application to be paroled into the country. A single mom from Venezuela who fled an abusive husband and didn’t want him to know where she was, so she didn’t go back to North Carolina for the hearing. I believe it was resolved, but the point is that had she been stopped for, say, a broken tail light, and arrested for driving without a license, she would have been detained at Krome for who knows how long and her 9-year-old daughter would be in social services. Is that what we really want to do? I say no, it’s not.
There are better ways to identify and catch the real criminals in our community without catching others in the too-wide net.
Love, Ladra
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