A group gathered at a community meeting in Fort Myers to support City Councilwoman Darla Bonk, who voted against an agreement allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement training for Fort Myers Police Department officers.
Councilwoman Bonk, who represents Ward 6, was among those who voted “no” on Monday. The other two were Diana Giraldo and Terolyn Watson.
Since then, Bonk has faced backlash, including having some personal information made public.
The Wednesday evening meeting was originally a scheduled, standard Ward 6 meeting typically run by Bonk, but the community turned it into a rally of support, allowing her to explain her position.
The meeting’s original purpose was for Bonk to discuss general ward upkeep with the public.
The gathering came after state lawmakers demanded the Fort Myers City Council to “correct” the failed vote on Tuesday, which would have allowed ICE to train and work with the city’s police department.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis took to X to express his displeasure, and Congressman Byron Donalds called for the women’s jobs.
Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote a letter to the city saying that with the vote, the city council violated state law.
This meeting was the first time Bonk publicly addressed why she voted against the agreement and what would happen next.
She wanted to make one thing clear:
“I am not opposed to ICE. I am not opposed to if you are here illegally and you are not willing to go through the process to become a citizen that you should just be able to cart launch and reign free and roam the city however you please. I am not in favor of that either. I had questions, and I needed clarification, and I didn’t get it. My name is on that vote, as I do not believe not getting emotional makes me weak. I think it shows exactly where my heart was coming from, and I will never apologize for that,” she said during Wednesday’s meeting.
About 60 people attended the Ward 6 meeting.
“She has at least ten or eleven unanswered questions that she wouldn’t feel comfortable having this be approved if it were to go through,” said Dominic Perno, a Fort Myers resident.
Bonk said that during Monday’s vote, she interpreted the agenda item as FMPD working for ICE, as opposed to working with ICE.
“It would definitely cause mistrust, especially for people that have to deal with being a different skin color and having to be asked, ‘Are you here legally?'” said Viri Ryan, a Fort Myers resident.
Ryan shared her personal story with Bonk, recounting an incident when she was arrested for driving with a suspended license.
At the jail, she encountered an ICE officer. “He says, ‘Is this one mine? ‘ And I’m like… I’m a person. I’m a human. And I’m actually a citizen,'” Ryan said.
“I wanted to remind her and the community that it doesn’t just happen to undocumented immigrants,” she added.
However, Bonk still has many questions, like why local taxpayers should pay for ICE’s work.
She said that Friday’s 2 p.m. council meeting will likely be another vote, and state lawmakers are encouraging for a flip.
We asked Bonk if she was planning to change her vote, and she told us she had not made her choice yet and wanted to hear from the public and do more research before she came to a decision.
Kathy James, a Fort Myers resident, said, “I hope these three women get their voices heard across the county and that people stop and listen to them to what they are saying.”
