Florida attorney general issues criminal subpoena to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s team amid ICE obstruction allegations

State investigation targets city communications tied to immigration enforcement controversy

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued a criminal subpoena seeking records from members of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration as part of an investigation centered on allegations that city officials interfered with federal immigration enforcement activity. The subpoena escalates a months-long political and legal dispute in Jacksonville over the boundaries of local authority, the role of municipal legal counsel, and how city government should engage with immigration enforcement operations.

The subpoena’s scope and the identities of the recipients have not been fully detailed publicly. A criminal subpoena generally compels the production of specified records or testimony relevant to an active investigation; it does not, on its own, establish wrongdoing or signal that charges are imminent.

Background: City legal guidance, local ordinance, and an injunction

The current controversy follows earlier friction between Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office over enforcement of state and local measures criminalizing unlawful entry or presence. In late May 2025, city attorneys advised the sheriff’s office not to enforce Jacksonville’s immigration ordinance while a federal injunction blocking the related state statute remained in effect. The legal guidance stated that enforcing the local ordinance could expose the city to litigation because the ordinance was modeled after the enjoined state law. The sheriff’s office publicly maintained it would continue enforcing federal, state, and local laws.

Deegan previously allowed a local immigration measure to take effect without her signature after voicing concerns about constitutionality and potential legal costs. She has also emphasized that the mayor’s office does not direct the sheriff’s office, which operates as an independent constitutional office in Florida.

Flashpoint: ICE-related social media video and state-level backlash

Tensions sharpened in mid-January 2026 after a city employee serving as Hispanic outreach coordinator posted a livestream video discussing reports of increased immigration enforcement activity in the area and advising viewers to comply if stopped. The city placed the employee on administrative leave, with Deegan stating the action was based on internal communications policy and not the content of the video. State officials publicly criticized the video and framed the episode as a potential challenge to immigration enforcement efforts.

A central factual dispute in the public debate has been whether sharing location-specific information about enforcement activity constitutes obstruction, and under what circumstances.

What happens next

Investigations involving subpoenas often focus on establishing timelines, decision-making authority, and communications among officials. In this case, likely points of inquiry include:

• Whether any city employee acted in an official capacity to impede federal immigration enforcement operations;
• Whether guidance from city attorneys was limited to compliance with a federal injunction or extended into operational direction;
• How internal policies governed employee communications about law enforcement activity;
• What coordination, if any, existed between city government and the sheriff’s office regarding immigration enforcement.

City officials have not publicly provided a detailed account of the subpoena’s demands. The attorney general’s office has framed its broader immigration posture as requiring local governments to cooperate with enforcement, while Jacksonville’s leadership has repeatedly drawn a line between legal risk management and operational control of policing.

The outcome will likely turn on documentary evidence—emails, messages, and internal directives—showing what actions were taken, by whom, and for what stated purpose.