ORLANDO, Fla. — There are still a lot of questions about how the governor will be able to enforce the measures expected to be announced by incoming president Donald Trump.
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Now, undocumented Floridians - many who work in the tourism and hospitality industries - say they are concerned about their future.
“I am really scared about everything that could happen to all of us,” said an undocumented worker who did not want to be identified.
She left a career and her family in her home country in hopes of living her American Dream. “We know a lot of people who have family here and work here, and this situation makes us very scared because we don’t know if they will come to our place of work and arrest us, deport us.”
Like many who are also undocumented, she now makes a living here and hopes one day she will be able to stay in Orlando without the fear of deportation.
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According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are more than 770,000 undocumented immigrants living in Florida, working in several industries - from tourism to construction.
“Florida led the way in enacting strong policies to deter and discourage and hold accountable people that came to this country illegally,” said Republican governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.
DeSantis called for a special session to discuss and ultimately enforce immediately any anti-illegal immigration policies enacted at the national level, as soon as they are announced by incoming president Donald Trump. “We need to act, and we need to act quickly.”
Although President-elect Trump’s plans have not been officially unveiled yet, while on the campaign trail, he promised the largest mass deportation program in history.
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Democrats reacted to the governor’s announcement. “Ron DeSantis once again leading with decisive rhetoric to really try to just get national headlines and not actually improve the life of Floridians,” said Representative Anna V. Eskamani, Florida State House Representative for District 42. “First of all, we don’t even know what the executive orders coming out of the Trump administration will say there’s been some speculation that he may sign 100 executive orders on day one. Don’t know what they’re going to say and what they’re going to mean for our constituents.”
The state’s economy – especially across Central Florida – relies heavily on immigrant labor, according to the Florida Policy Institute.
As of 2019, nearly 400,000 undocumented workers fueled six key state industries – construction, accommodation and food services, and agriculture, to name a few.
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“Immigrants are essential to Florida’s economy, contributing to key industries like tourism, agriculture, and construction. Targeting these communities is not just cruel, but it’s bad for business,” said Eskamani.
An official memo obtained by Channel 9, issued jointly by the State Senate President, Republican Ben Albritton, and Florida House Speaker, also Republican Daniel Perez, confirmed that Florida legislators still don’t know what the new immigration policies expected to come as President-elect Trump takes office will entail.
“We look forward to President Trump’s inauguration next week and have every confidence he will take swift action to end the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders. President Trump campaigned heavily on this issue,” the memo reads. “The American people clearly support his leadership. As do we. When we receive specific guidance that may necessitate our state’s legislative action to complement President Trump’s efforts, we stand ready to act at the appropriate time.”
As you know, this Legislature will address illegal immigration, condominiums, petition initiatives and hurricane recovery this Session, which starts in 50 days. Calling a special session at this time is premature.
In particular, when it comes to immigration we are strong supporters of President Trump and stand ready to follow his lead. At this time, we are not aware of any specific guidance provided to the states about actions state legislatures can take to support forthcoming federal action. It is completely irresponsible to get out ahead of any announcements President Trump will make, especially when uninformed or ill-timed state action could potentially impair or impede the success of President Trump’s forthcoming efforts to end illegal immigration, close our borders, and protect the sovereignty of our nation.
We look forward to President Trump’s inauguration next week and have every confidence he will take swift action to end the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders. President Trump campaigned heavily on this issue. The American people clearly support his leadership. As do we.
When we receive specific guidance that may necessitate our state’s legislative action to complement President Trump’s efforts, we stand ready to act at the appropriate time. While the Governor discussed fragments of ideas for a special session he plans to start in just fourteen days, he did not release any actual bill language or even meaningful details for legislators and our constituents to consider.
With regard to the additional issues outlined by the Governor this morning, the fact is there are ample funds accessible and available to pay for the State’s ongoing disaster response efforts and additional funds do not have to wait until July 1. Condominium safety and ballot initiatives proposing constitutional amendments are complex subjects and should be considered during the regular session, not a truncated special session.
Florida’s Constitution compels our attendance at a special session unilaterally called by the Governor. However, the power to convene a special session also resides with the presiding officers. As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider.
— THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE, MEMORANDUM, Ben Albritton, President Daniel Perez, Speaker
The session is set for January 27th – and only after that, local law enforcement and governments will be able to determine how the upcoming measures will unfold.
“You have hundreds of hotels in Orlando, and people who work in those hotels - making beds, cleaning sheets, transportation to the attractions and everything - a large number of people who are working in this industry, they come from another country, and we know for a fact that not all of them are here legally,” said Walter Santos, an immigration attorney based in Central Florida. “If you start removing these people from their daily activity, you’re going to hamper the economic power of the state.”
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