Undocumented Immigrants

Maria Gabriela Pacheco is the new CEO and president of the prominent organization TheDream.US. She began advocating on the issue two decades ago while attending Miami Dade College as an undocumented student. Her family moved to Florida from Ecuador looking for a safer life.

One of the strictest in the nation, the law criminalized transporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status into the state, invalidated any U.S. government identification they might have and blocked local governments from providing them with ID cards.

Immigration advocates gathered at Hope Community Center in Apopka Thursday to decry a new state law that would limit the rights of undocumented people here.

Health professionals say a proposal to collect data on undocumented patients could lead many to avoid care.

The Homeland Security Task Force - Southeast said they have stopped or removed more than 1,300 refugees at sea or from Dry Tortugas National Park and other areas of the Florida Keys since Dec. 30 and urged family members of Cubans and Haitians thinking of making their way to the U.S. to dissuade such efforts.

Federal officials became overwhelmed as nearly 500 Cuban migrants landed in or near the Keys between Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, before 100 Haitians in a sailboat arrived in Key Largo on Tuesday. Arrivals forced Dry Tortugas National Park to close.

The grand jury was impaneled at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who called the smuggling of undocumented immigrants as an “escalating threat.”

According to the documents, the program as outlined in July was intended to assist in voluntary relocations of "Unauthorized Aliens" in Florida. It made no mention of finding migrants in Texas.

Hoy, el supuesto sueño americano sigue siendo un cuento atractivo entre los migrantes al sur de la frontera. Sin embargo, el objetivo ha cambiado.

The American dream remains a compelling tale among migrants south of the border. The objective has shifted, though. For many, simply trying to stay alive is what's driving them.

On this week's Florida Roundup, we discuss the migrant fallout, and why Florida ranks near the top of states in trying to ban books.

Attorneys for Civil Rights filed a federal civil rights class action lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on behalf of migrants who were unexpectedly flown to Martha's Vineyard.