“Big Beautiful Budget” To Ban Immigration, DEI and Abortion Services

By Sophia Cardona

On Sept. 9, the Jacksonville community spoke out against city council member Rory Diamond’s proposed “Big Beautiful Budget” amendment, which seeks to eliminate city funding for undocumented immigrants, abortion services and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 

The Jacksonville City Council held the meeting to vote on Jacksonville, Fla.’s budget and millage rate. With a one-eighth reduction of the millage rate, property taxes would be lowered by approximately $13 million for the upcoming fiscal year. However, Dimond’s proposed “Big Beautiful Budget” could simultaneously dismantle essential resources and services for many in the city. 

Members of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA) took to the steps of City Hall to protest Diamond’s proposed amendment. JIRA representative, María García, expressed the harmful impact his proposal could have on the city’s immigrants. 

“Let us be clear about what Rory Diamond is doing. He isn’t just cutting budget items. He is waging a political war on immigrants, on the poor and on everyone who believes in a Jacksonville that works for all of us,” García said.

The frustration among members of the alliance stems from Ordinance 2025-0138, which was vetoed by Mayor Donna Deegan back in June. The ordinance aimed to eliminate the use of city funds on undocumented immigrants in the city and despite it being vetoed, Diamond’s “Big Beautiful Budget” seeks to bring it back and integrate it into the new city budget.

According to Jacksonville census data, one of the biggest immigrant groups in the city, Hispanics and Latinos, is composed of over 110,000 people. Not only will his proposal limit resources for undocumented immigrants, it will also harm DEI initiatives and abortion services. 

“All of these things were put in simply to throw a grenade in the middle of the process,” Deegan told Jacksonville Today on Aug. 25. “They’re not budget items. There’s no money attached to them. They don’t belong in the budget, and, frankly, that whole council knows it.” 

Samuel Hunter, who came in solidarity and in representation of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, opposed the amendment for its lack of morals and true benefit for the city. 

“This ‘Big Beautiful Budget’ amendment, as Rory Diamond has named it, is not about saving money. It’s about class and racial oppression so that he can gain favor with the racist, transphobic, homophobic leaders of this country,” Hunter said. 

The members of JIRA were not the only ones to protest Diamond’s proposed amendment, as four councilmembers from the democratic party: Rahman Johnson, Jimmy Peluso, Ju’Coby Pittman and Reggie Gaffney Jr., walked out in protest during the meeting. 

“When councilmembers openly legislate from the budget, they not only defy our local rules, but they also violate the state’s laws that protect municipal charters,” Johnson said in a statement. “My leaving the chamber was a gut reaction to some of my colleagues voting to say that people who look like me do not exist.”

Amid loud criticism, the Republican councilmember stands firm on voting for the amendment and ensuring that these restrictions are applied to the budget. 

“It literally says we are not going to be racist — we’re not going to spend money on treating people differently based on their gender, their race or who they go home to…” Diamond said in defense to the amendment during the meeting. 

The heat surrounding the amendment is greatly influenced by the latest immigration policies established by President Donald Trump’s administration, which have focused on bringing consequences to those living in the country illegally. 

On Sept. 8, the administration’s latest move resulted in the Supreme Court clearing the way for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to use racial profiling while carrying out operations in Los Angeles, Calif. Though the decision has no foreseeable effect in Jacksonville, some worry the city might be heading closer to adopting these policies. 

“Local budgets fund local needs—not culture wars. My voice won’t be silenced,” Johnson added on social media.

Legislations like this one have instilled fear in undocumented immigrants to seek out services such as going to the hospital, reporting domestic abuse, attending their court hearings, among others. 

“I definitely think it’s a scare tactic. I think it’s just a sign of the administration lashing out against the fact that their immigration policies, and just all of their policies in general, are becoming very unpopular,” García said.

Councilmembers and Jacksonville communities stand firm in their continued fight for the well-being of undocumented immigrants and citizens. Connor, with the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, spoke out on what he believes are racist attacks that are putting a community far greater than immigrants in danger. 

“We need that money for housing, education and mental health programs, not more racist, violent cuts and deportations of community members who contribute to our local economy,” said Connor. “JSO (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office) and ICE do absolutely nothing to keep us safe. We, the working people of this city…we’re the ones who shut down bill 0138…we are the ones who protect us, we are the ones who keep us safe.”

Wells Todd, in representation of JIRA, denounced Diamond for proposing an amendment that, according to him, does not represent the people of Jacksonville and is rooted in white supremacy ideas.

“Where there is no justice, there can be no peace,” Todd said.

Diamond’s “Big Beautiful Budget” is seen by some as an effort to legislate through the city budget which has caused distrust among council members. 

“It was snuck in after several weeks that we all worked very hard and deliberated the budget — which I feel undermined the process, the transparency and most of all, the trust,” Pittman told News4Jax. “It was a bullying tactic, self-serving and it wasn’t governing.”

As political tensions rise, so does the frustration of the people and their longing to be heard. 

“If you don’t listen to the voice of the people, you don’t deserve a seat at that table,” García said. 

The council meeting resulted in a 10-8 vote in favor of keeping the current millage rate unchanged. The city council will reach a final vote on the “Big Beautiful Budget” amendment on Sept. 23. Until then, immigrants’ rights and their access to services remain on a tightrope.