ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orange County spokesperson confirmed Friday that the county is “following up on complaints” about conditions inside the Orange County Jail, as corrections staff continue to be pushed to the brink by the high volume of inmates with immigration detainers.
The jail served as the backdrop to a rally Friday held by advocates for immigrants’ rights, as they voiced their objections to enforcement tactics by federal immigration agents.
“This jail has now become the embodiment of all that Americans hate about ICE,” said Ericka Gomez-Tejeda, of the Hope CommUnity Center.
Some 373 inmates in the jail had detainers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as of Friday morning, according to a county corrections spokesperson. The jail had 195 inmates with an ICE hold in addition to local charges, and 178 inmates had an ICE hold and no local charges.
[WATCH: Feds owe Orange County hundreds of thousands of dollars for housing ICE inmates, officials say]
“Immigration belongs in civil courts, not in our jails,” Gomez-Tejeda said.
Gomez-Tejeda and other advocates raised concerns about how inmate detainees may be treated inside the facility. Earlier this week, several speakers used the public comment portion of Orange County Commission’s regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the alleged conditions.
“Reports of the inadequate water, moldy food, stripped dignity: These are warning signs,” Bishop William Cavins said at the meeting on Tuesday.
Others argued that the detention of immigrants in and of itself is troubling.
“I’m here today because what is happening inside the Orange County Jail is unlawful, unconstitutional, and deeply harmful to our community,” Josephine Arroyo said at the meeting on Tuesday.
Arroyo owns the Arroyo Law Firm alongside Phillip Arroyo and represents clients who have immigration holds inside the jail.
She cited her firm’s filing of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus against the Orange County Jail and the federal government. A federal judge granted that petition last week, thus releasing one of the firm’s clients from the jail after he was detained solely on an immigration hold.
Since then, a federal judge has granted habeas relief for two more of the Arroyo Law Firm’s clients, ruling that the two individuals were unlawfully detained.
News 6 asked Orange County spokespeople about the rally Friday, and specifically about Gomez-Tejeda’s argument that the jail has become the “embodiment” of opposition to ICE.
“We are aware that the Orange County Jail has become the regional holding facility for ICE,” a spokesperson responded.
[WATCH: What we know about Orange County building ICE toured as potential detainment center]
News 6 confirmed earlier this month that ICE is exploring at least one other option to house immigrant detainees, after we spotted representatives of ICE scouting a warehouse on Transport Drive.
Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, who is running for governor of Florida, visited the warehouse this week to show his support for the idea.
“Florida will always back the blue and uphold law and order,” Donalds said in a video posted to X.