illegal immigrants

Abolish ICE

FlaglerLive | July 8, 2018

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is supposed to keep Americans safe. Instead, it’s terrorizing refugees, families, and small children.

Being Separated From My Child Nearly Destroyed Me

FlaglerLive | June 26, 2018

The administration’s policy of separating families is torture, and Trump’s executive order to incarcerate families together doesn’t solve the crisis.

The Truth About ‘Sanctuary Cities’

FlaglerLive | June 11, 2018

The term “sanctuary city” typically refers to a jurisdiction that wants to limit the use of local law enforcement resources to carry out federal law enforcement work, in violation of constitutional protections.

Facing Deportation, an Undocumented Immigrant Held at Flagler Jail Changes His Plea at Last Minute

FlaglerLive | February 14, 2018

The case of Palm Coast resident Filipino Francisco Justo underscores how the potential for deportation increases rather than decreases burdens on the judicial and penal systems.

Bill Targeting Florida “Sanctuary Cities,” An Election-Year Wedge, Stalls In Senate

FlaglerLive | January 31, 2018

Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, tabled his proposed sanctuary-city ban after facing bipartisan opposition to the measure aimed at requiring local governments to comply with federal immigration laws.

To Keep America Great, Legalize All Undocumented Immigrants

FlaglerLive | January 28, 2018

We have a choice: Keep our economy vibrant and enviable or demolish it by expelling and demonizing undocumented immigrants, as short-sighted nations have done in the false name of “purity” over the years.

Trump’s Decision To End Dreamers’ Amnesty Creates Dilemma For Florida GOP

FlaglerLive | September 5, 2017

Florida is home to at least 30,000 people who could be affected and is the base for exponentially more Hispanic voters who could be critical to next year’s elections.

The Brutality Behind Trump’s Arpaio Pardon

FlaglerLive | August 30, 2017

The president called Joe Arpaio, a man who chronically violated people’s constitutional rights, a “patriot.” What does that make his victims?

New Florida Senator Files Bill To Scrap 2014 Law Granting In-State Tuition to Undocumented Immigrants

FlaglerLive | November 30, 2016

The plan by Sen. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, repealing the in-state tuition exception, could alter the higher-education plans of many students who have spent much of their lives in Florida.

No, Pat Mooney, Immigrants Aren’t Cattle

FlaglerLive | April 29, 2016

Republican candidate Pat Mooney, running for the congressional seat that includes Flagler, managed to compare all Syrians to terrorists, all tourists and immigrants to cattle, and called for foreigners to be “chipped” and tracked the moment they enter the country.

Florida House Wants to Prohibit Immigrants’ “Sanctuary” Communities

FlaglerLive | January 13, 2016

Despite emotional pleas from immigrant advocates, state House members Wednesday moved forward with measures aimed at cracking down on cities and counties that provide “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants and increasing penalties for people who defy deportation orders.

Judges Continue to Deny Dependency Pleas From Undocumented Teens in Florida

FlaglerLive | January 4, 2016

A determination of dependency, based on issues such as abandonment by parents or abuse, would help the teens apply for a special immigration status and seek permanent residency.

No Sanctuaries: Undocumented Immigrants’ Fears Persist Even as Deportations Are Down

FlaglerLive | October 24, 2015

Immigrants’ fear can prevent them from cooperating with police, derail attempts to ensure that all drivers are licensed and endanger growth in areas looking to immigrants to help reverse population losses.

In-State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants Passes House, 81-33, as GOP Opposition Thins

FlaglerLive | March 20, 2014

The measure allows undocumented immigrants to pay cheaper, in-state tuition rates if they attend Florida middle and high schools for at least four straight years before going to college.

Florida Lawmakers Edging Toward Offering In-State Tuition for Some Undocumented Immigrants

FlaglerLive | February 19, 2014

A measure allowing some undocumented students to receive in-state tuition was easily approved Wednesday by a House subcommittee, but the bill still faces a steep climb in the Senate.

Racist Attacks on Mexican-American’s National Anthem Performance Reflect GOP Blinders

FlaglerLive | June 20, 2013

It’s sad that Sebatien de la Cruz’s singing of the National Anthem at an NBA playoff game should become the target of ugly, anti-immigrant sentiment. These views didn’t arise in a vacuum, argues Raul Reyes. Republican lawmakers have been demonizing immigrants to the detriment of our civil discourse and to their own party. Meanwhile, our nation continues to grow more diverse, putting the GOP out of step with a changing America.

Militarizing the Border: Where Those Billions for More “Security” Will Go

FlaglerLive | April 27, 2013

The U.S. spent nearly $18 billion dollars on immigration enforcement agencies last fiscal year, more than all other law enforcement agencies combined. Where would another $4.5 billion go? Here’s a closer look at what is being proposed, and how the government has spent (and often wasted) border money in recent years.

Bill Filed to Guarantee In-State Tuition to Florida Children of Undocumented Immigrants

FlaglerLive | December 4, 2012

Unlike the federal Dream Act, which covers children brought to the country illegally, the Florida bill filed Tuesday only deals with children who are American citizens by virtue of being born in the United States.

Federal Judge Rejects Higher Tuition for Florida Children of Undocumented Immigrants

FlaglerLive | September 5, 2012

A Miami federal judge has found that Florida is violating the constitutional rights of American-born children of illegal immigrants by requiring them to pay higher tuition rates than other students at state colleges and universities.

“Just Stop Acting Stupid,” Jeb Bush Tells Republicans Over Immigration Extremism

FlaglerLive | August 29, 2012

Worried about losing the Latino vote, Bush and other Republicans nevertheless brushed off questions about whether the still-extremist immigration plank of the Republican Party could prove to be too much of a hurdle for the presidential campaign of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Undocumented Immigrant Is Not Disqualified from Practicing Law, Florida Bar Says

FlaglerLive | August 8, 2012

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has found no “good moral character and fitness issues” that would disqualify Jose Manuel Godinez Samperio, an undocumented immigrant, from being admitted to practice law in Florida, but is still waiting for an opinion from the Florida Supreme Court before making a decision.

Florida’s Latest Immigrants: Undocumented Workers Fleeing Alabama’s Harsh Vise

FlaglerLive | November 10, 2011

Reversing Florida’s recent population loss, there’s been an influx of undocumented workers moving to Florida from Alabama as a result of a newly passed state law, the harshest immigration enforcement measure in the country.

Class-Action Lawsuit Calls Florida’s In-State College Tuition Restrictions Unconstitutional

FlaglerLive | October 19, 2011

American citizens who’ve lived in Florida for years and have all the documents to prove it are denied in-state tuition rights the moment they can’t prove that their parents are lawful Florida residents–an unconstitutional form of discrimination against citizens, the Southern Poverty Law Center charges in the lawsuit.

The Migrant Caravan’s Lessons from South of the Border