APOPKA, Fla. — Immigration advocates are preparing to respond days after Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special session to tackle immigration.
On Monday, DeSantis called on the state legislature to convene on the final week of January to help incoming President-elect Donald Trump crack down on illegal immigration.
According to the American Immigration Council, more than one million people in Florida could be targeted as part of Trump’s mass deportation plans.
With DeSantis expressing his support in these efforts, local organizations that serve the undocumented community are taking action to inform and prepare those who might be impacted.
Leaders from local organizations gathered Friday afternoon at the Hope Community Center in Apopka to discuss the potential impact mass deportations could have in Central Florida.
“It is in our best interest as a community to allow all of us to be welcomed here. It is in the best interest of our community for us to be a more democratic society instead of creating laws that simply dehumanize, simply destroy our community,” Executive Director of Hope Community Center Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet said.
DeSantis announced on Wednesday he wants to pass additional laws to support expected executive orders targeting illegal immigration. He said he wants Florida to lead the nation in enforcing Trump’s mass deportation plans.
He asked Florida law enforcement agencies to support the new administration’s guidelines for deportation and stricter illegal immigration policies.
“We’ve got to get ahead of it, we've got to make sure that we're there as a willing partner with the Trump administration to be able to accomplish what the voters sent President Trump to accomplish,” DeSantis said during a press conference earlier this week.
He plants to appoint a state immigration enforcement officer to manage the relationship between federal authorities and state law enforcement agencies.
Another topic in the upcoming session will be a proposal to repeal in-state college tuition for illegal immigrant students.
DACA recipient Silvia Ruiz Villanueva shared her story highlighting the impact this change could have.
“In-state tuition is more than just a policy, it’s a lifeline. Today, I’m deeply concerned about the future of this opportunity under this new administration and our current administration in Florida,” Ruiz Villanueva said. “The possibility of repealing in-state tuition threatens to deny students like mine and like myself the chance to continue their higher education and realize their full potential.”
During the press conference, Sousa-Lazaballet also spoke about the potential economic impact these immigration policies could have.
“Let me be clear, if you did not like the price of milk before, if you did not like the price of eggs before, if this legislative session comes to be and comes to pass the bills in which the governor is saying he wants to pass, it will only get worse,” Sousa-Lazaballet said.
Next Tuesday, members of the Hope Community Center will head to Tallahassee to continue sharing their stories with state legislators hoping for a change.