As the Trump administration continues to implement aggressive immigration policies, many Hispanic residents in Florida, a key voting bloc for Trump, are facing increased scrutiny and fear of deportation.

Eliseo Santana, a Puerto Rican veteran and civil servant with more than 30 years of service to his community, is among them. Santana serves as regional manager for the Alianza Center and recently spoke out against the current climate of discrimination and the demand for documentation targeting Hispanic individuals. He expressed his frustration and demanded respect from all levels of government.

"I insist that my rights as a citizen of the State of Florida be upheld," Santana emphasized. "And that our legislators respect and leave me alone and stop making laws that would empower people to discriminate against me, to select me because of my looks, just because I'm Hispanic."

The Trump administration's recent moves to tighten immigration from Venezuela and El Salvador have further heightened tensions within Hispanic communities. The policies are part of a broader strategy to curb immigration and have sparked widespread concern among Hispanic Americans, many of whom feel targeted based on their ethnicity.

Santana is a U.S. citizen by birth and stressed Puerto Ricans are often unfairly targeted despite their citizenship status.

"There are 21 nationalities that identify as Hispanic, and in the state of Florida," Santana pointed out. "Puertorriqueno are the number one and Puertorriqueno, Puerto Ricans, are U.S. citizens by birth. It is important for everyone to recognize that because someone looks Hispanic does not mean they're undocumented or they're a criminal."

The Trump administration's efforts to tighten immigration policies have hit Venezuelan immigrants in Florida especially hard, many of whom depend on Temporary Protected Status to live and work legally in the U.S.

Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program for individuals fleeing conflict or disaster and has been a lifeline for Venezuelans escaping their country's crisis. However, the administration's push to roll back Temporary Protected Status protections has left thousands in limbo, fueling outrage among immigrant advocates and Hispanic communities.


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Immigrant rights advocates are calling on state leaders to do more to protect Washington farmworkers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including the release of Alfredo 'Lelo' Juarez Zeferino.

Zeferino is a farmworker and well-known union organizer who was detained by ICE in March.

Liz Darrow, participatory democracy coordinator for the Washington-based advocacy group Community to Community Development, which advocates for workers' rights, said there has been increased ICE activity since March and wants state government to take action.

"We really want the governor and the attorney general to take an active role in providing for the public a better picture," Darrow explained. "Because we really can't tell what's going on unless workers or their families reach out to us."

The Trump Administration said ICE raids are targeting criminals but critics pointed out migrants with legal status and no criminal history are also being detained. Darrow noted Zeferino has no criminal record.

Brenda Bentley, movement building coordinator for Community to Community Development, said one immigrant in Washington was taken by ICE as he was leaving church with his family. She added agents have been seen parked outside elementary schools.

"It's also a really chilling effect in the community because people are afraid to drive anywhere to do the basic necessities that they need to do," Bentley observed.

Zeferino has been detained for about two months and the charges against him are unclear. Darrow believes he was targeted because he has spent years publicly organizing farmworkers to improve working conditions.

"We see Lelo organizing all over the state and all over the country to try to help workers gain things like overtime and safety rules from heat stress and wildfire smoke," Darrow noted.

Darrow's organization is calling for Gov. Bob Ferguson to continue to enforce the "Keep Washington Working Act," which restricts local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration laws.

State lawmakers in Arizona are considering legislation to mandate hospitals to ask patients whether they are in the country legally.

Rep. John Gillette, R-Flagstaff, noted while the proposal includes a provision to let patients know their answer would not affect the type of care they receive or lead to any immigration enforcement, it is a needed measure to collect information on the effect undocumented immigration is having on the state's health care system, including the state's Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, commonly referred to as AHCCCS.

"Right now in Yuma County, there's 1,676 people receiving some type of benefits on AHCCCS from the same address, but we don't know who they are and we don't know where they live," Gillette stated. "We just know they have the same address, but we haven't been provided that access. This bill aims to do that."

Gillette explained the bill is intended to track Medicaid spending with the purpose of uncovering if taxpayer dollars are being used to treat those who are not in the U.S. legally. Opponents of the measure argued it could deter patients from seeking and accessing essential medical care. The legislation is headed to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs' desk.

Rep. Mariana Sandoval, D-Yuma, fears the bill could have unintended consequences and the data collected could be used for ulterior motives. Republicans have modeled the legislation after a similar Florida law which highlighted the cost of undocumented migrants to the state.

Sandoval pointed out the legislation is not taking place in a vacuum.

"They conveniently overlook that undocumented workers contribute significantly to the state and local taxes," Sandoval emphasized. "These workers contributed an estimated $766 million in combined state and local taxes, just in 2022 alone."

Sandoval contended the bill would directly target those who she called some of Arizona's hardest working and vulnerable residents such as agricultural, hospitality and construction workers. She added hospitals should remain places of healing, not become ports of entry.

While Gov. Ron DeSantis touts "Operation Tidal Wave" as a success, advocates for Florida's immigrant families say the crackdown is tearing them apart - and ignoring their legal rights.

In a Thursday news conference at Miramar's ICE facility, where immigrants routinely report on their cases, officials celebrated the operation - even as community members now fear detention for keeping appointments.

Cuban mother Heidy Sanchez was deported after checking in and forced to leave her 1-year-old U.S.-citizen daughter behind, according to Renata Bozzetto, deputy director of the
Florida Immigrant Coalition.

"Heidy was just like every other immigrant going to that facility in Miramar to do what she was told to do - to present herself, follow the rules and be in constant contact with ICE agents - only to be trapped and deported," she said, "and that is absolutely heartbreaking."

Bozzetto said many immigrants who comply with ICE check-ins are being swept up. DeSantis claimed the operation has led to a 63% arrest rate of people with prior criminal convictions, but Bozzetto argued the state is obscuring the real impact - of families torn apart, workers disappearing from jobs, and U.S. citizens caught in the dragnet.

The operation has also raised concerns about racial profiling and what critics see as the state's disregard for court orders. Bozzetto pointed to constitutional violations and the lack of information about the 1,120 people Operation Tidal Wave claims to have taken into custody.

"When these stories are not given to us with the detail and the transparency that they deserve, we have various questions," she said, "including, did these individuals have the right to due process?"

Florida's aggressive approach includes its embrace of what are known as 287-G agreements, which allow local law enforcement to act as federal immigration agents. DeSantis has called these a key tool in immigration enforcement.


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