This Friday morning, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., motorists traveling through Green Cove Springs are advised to have their license and registration readily accessible as the Clay County Sheriff’s Office initiates a license checkpoint. While ostensibly aimed at ensuring drivers comply with licensing regulations, the initiative has raised alarm among community activists.

Concerns are brewing that the checkpoint might be leveraged to target immigration issues rather than solely focusing on driver documentation. Maria Garcia, an organizer with the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, voiced these apprehensions. “The timing is particularly concerning to us given that there have been financial incentives for immigration enforcement just received,” she remarked.

Adding context to these fears, Garcia highlighted that the Clay County Sheriff’s Office recently secured over $600,000 for its efforts related to illegal immigration enforcement. This monetary boost has fueled suspicions that the checkpoint could be part of a broader immigration agenda, rather than just a routine traffic operation.

“The timing is particularly concerning to us given that there have been financial incentives for immigration enforcement just received,” said Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance Organizer Maria Garcia.

Garcia pointed out that just this week, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received more than $600,000 for its work in addressing illegal immigration.

She’s not the only one who is skeptical about the motive for a license verification checkpoint – as the post about it on the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page garnered more than 2000 comments in less than a day, many questioning if immigration enforcement is a factor.

“Last time I checked, Florida is not a show me your papers state, and this is not a show me your papers country,” said Garcia.

A spokesperson with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said the purpose of the checkpoint is to make sure drivers have a license, saying in part in a statement: “We want to ensure our roads are safe for everyone and get habitual traffic offenders off the road, reckless drivers off the road, etc.” 

The statement continues to add: “If anything illegal comes up during it, whether it’s an outstanding warrant in County, out-of-county, immigration related, or anything else – it is handled as it comes in and appropriately.”

The spokesperson cited two Supreme Court cases to give them legal standing to conduct license checkpoints.

First Coast News Crime and Safety Expert Mark Baughman says he’s worked his fair share of checkpoints throughout a career in law enforcement, typically to check for DUI, and says the cars that caught the most attention were the ones that seemed to try to avoid the checkpoint.

He recommends drivers have their license, registration and particularly their insurance ready if they find themselves pulling up to a checkpoint.

“There are a lot of people driving right now without auto insurance,” said Baughman. “That will invalidate your driving privileges. You have to show proof of that, so you should have that on you for sure.”

Since learning about the checkpoint, Garcia has been reminding folks about their rights and advising them to avoid the area if they could be impacted.

“We just recommend anyone who is going through the immigration process or doesn’t have their status regulated to always carry emergency contact information and have a family plan in case of detention.”

The checkpoint is planned from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Green Cove Springs, but the Clay County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t specified an exact location.

Full statement from the sheriff’s office below:

The goal is to verify that people operating motor vehicles on County Roads have a valid driver’s license. We want to ensure our roads are safe for everyone and get habitual traffic offenders off the road, reckless drivers off the road, etc. 

These types of checkpoints are not new and have been conducted numerous times for years. 

If anything illegal comes up during it, whether it’s an outstanding warrant in County, out-of-county, immigration related, or anything else, it is handled as it comes in and appropriately.

We are also in the works of conducting more DUI checkpoints.

For legality purposes, please refer to State of Florida vs. Jones, 2012, & Michigan Dept. of State Police V. Sitz (1990) as we follow these guidelines.