Due process and equal protection are in our Constitution and Bill of Rights and apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.

Editor’s Note: There are many resources, including downloadable “Red Cards” on our Immigration Resources page. If you have resources you would like us to add, please email webmaster@leoncountyindivisible.com

The second Trump administration has begun to implement sweeping inhumane immigration policies, including what could be the largest mass detention and deportation program in U.S. history.

Experience from smaller-scale detention sweeps shows that his proposed policies will lead to people, including American citizens and individuals with protected status, being stopped, arrested, or detained simply because of the color of their skin or accent. The scale of this mass deportation plan is only possible by curtailing the right to due process and other basic legal rights that are provided to every person in the United States.

Florida is one of the most diverse states in our country. Our state is home to nearly five million immigrants who are our neighbors, co-workers, and the backbone of critical industries. Over a third of the state’s agricultural workers and nearly a quarter of its construction workers are immigrants. Nearly half of health aides and over a quarter of nurses in Florida are immigrants. They have filled vital gaps in our state’s workforce for decades – including President Trump’s Florida-based businesses – and contribute nearly 12 billion dollars in state and local taxes yearly. Additionally, over 700,000 mixed-status families and approximately 250,000 U.S. citizens live with an undocumented parent in Florida.

We know this much: our communities are stronger and better with the contributions of immigrants. However, when our government denies fundamental legal rights to the immigrant community—everyone’s rights are at risk.

Instead of supporting practical pathways to integrate essential workers and their families, our Governor, Attorney General, and leaders in the legislature have aligned themselves with Trump’s xenophobic and nativist agenda. One that openly disregards principles of fairness, human dignity, and the rule of law.

Earlier this year, the state passed Senate Bill 4C (SB 4C) into law, which authorizes state and local law enforcement to imprison people based on their manner of entering the country — powers the Constitution reserves exclusively to the federal government.

While the law is currently blocked by a federal court, Floridians should prepare for significant challenges, such as:

• Chilling effects discouraging immigrants or people who are perceived to be immigrants from participating in public life due to fear of arrest or immigration enforcement.
• Revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and parole programs.
• Restrictive asylum policies that make it harder for people fleeing persecution to seek protection.
• Increased law enforcement raids and deportations.

Understanding your rights and preparing for these potential changes are critical steps toward protecting yourself and your community. Your rights include protections against unlawful searches and seizures, the right to remain silent, the right to speak to an attorney, and due process guarantees if detained or facing removal proceedings. Whether at home, in the workplace, or in public, knowing these rights and how to assert them is vital.

Now is the time to take action to keep our families, neighbors, and communities safe. It is critical that every person in our state, regardless of their status, be able to live, go to school, raise children, and travel without fear of violence, harassment, and discrimination. Together, we can confront this moment. We can defend our values. We can assert our power and protect our communities.