Tampa Vigil Demands End to Local Police Cooperation with ICE

Seventeen residents gathered at Centennial Park in Ybor City on Sunday, November 1, to mark the Day of the Dead and press for a break in local law enforcement ties with federal immigration agents. The Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee organized the vigil, using the traditional holiday of remembrance as a platform to challenge the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies for their collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security.

Erain Boxtha, an organizer, explained that the event aims to keep specific names from vanishing into the daily news cycle. He noted that the individuals being honored are not abstract figures but family members with complex social ties. Boxtha said attendees should view the deceased as potential uncles or cousins in their own communities, emphasizing that these people left behind friends and relatives who need acknowledgment.

The choice of Centennial Park was deliberate, according to Yunqing Zheng, who goes by Yoon. Zheng pointed to a statue in the park that commemorates the immigrants who built Ybor City. He stated that the gathering provides a venue to voice dissatisfaction with how local authorities work with federal bodies. Zheng argued that voters deserve representatives who are willing to defend their constituents, a stance he said mirrors a national trend of people demanding stronger advocacy from their elected officials.

For Lizett Chavez, the vigil carried a deeply personal weight. Her father, Adelaido Chavez Mariano, was arrested during an August 2 traffic stop and subsequently transferred to immigration detention. Although he has now returned to his family, Chavez said he faces a critical hearing in Tallahassee on November 5. She described her father as a neighbor who helped motorists with broken-down cars, and she said the support her family received inspired her to speak out for others in similar situations.

Participants chanted slogans such as “Stand up, fight back” and “The people united will never be defeated.” The group urged citizens to attend upcoming Tampa city meetings and contact officials directly. This call to action coincides with recent data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which reports that ICE held 65,765 people as of July 11, 2026. Of those detained, approximately 70% had no criminal convictions.

Florida ranks fifth among states for the average number of daily ICE detainees in fiscal year 2026, with a count of 3,934 individuals. The vigil serves as a localized response to these national figures, with organizers hoping that public pressure will help families make their voices heard in the months ahead.