Immigration/Border
The Floridian is a statewide and national political media platform that covers government affairs, elections, public policy, and campaigns on Florida politics. These stories are focused on the pivotal issue of immigration reform
Some petitioners pushing to legalize recreational marijuana, expand Medicaid, or ensure clean water access in the state constitution don't have to be Florida residents or U.S. citizens, a federal judge ruled late Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker temporarily blocked parts of a sweeping new petition fraud law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that banned […]
The Key West city commission will consider a Tuesday motion to take legal action against Gov. Ron DeSantis for requiring local police to take on some federal immigration duties. The resolution, filed by Commissioner Sam Kaufman, contemplates either authorizing the city attorney to file suit against DeSantis or joining South Miami's ongoing lawsuit against the […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis amplified a podcast Tuesday criticizing President Donald Trump's new plan to shield undocumented farm workers from deportation, insisting that "amnesty" shouldn't be granted to any non-citizen. While DeSantis has tightly aligned with Trump's anti-illegal immigration agenda through harsh state crimes and an "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility, the governor's indirect criticism on Tuesday […]
Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) urged the passage of his Thin Blue Line Act in a post to X (formerly Twitter) responding to news of an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting in McAllen, Texas. According to the Fox News article linked in Rep. Buchanan's post, a gunman opened fire on several agents near a detention […]
MIAMI—A day after Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention facility received its first van-load of undocumented immigrants, the state still hasn’t applied for federal funds to foot the $450 million bill. At least, that’s what the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a Thursday morning court filing, so far contradicting Gov. […]
Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) blasted Democratic rhetoric surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers, including the new "Alligator Alcatraz" in southern Florida, during a recent appearance on Fox News's Faulkner Focus, asking where their sympathy for victims of illegal alien crime is. Host Harris Faulkner shared a pair of tweets from the House Homeland […]
OCHOPEE—Despite the rocky, "work-in-progress" relationship between Gov. Ron DeSantis and his potential successor, Rep. Byron Donalds, the top Republicans are both demanding the Key West City Commission bend the knee. Their comments to The Floridian came at the grand opening of Alligator Alcatraz, the state's new migrant detention facility, a day after Key West commissioners voted to […]
OCHOPEE—Miles from civilization in the heart of Florida’s swampland, President Donald Trump joined forces Tuesday with Gov. Ron DeSantis for the grand opening of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a controversial Everglades detention camp. The Florida powerhouses kicked off the event with a tour of the new migrant detention facility before sitting down for a roundtable discussion. Hosted […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that President Donald Trump will attend the official opening of the new "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility on Tuesday, marking the biggest Florida-federal alignment on illegal immigration to date. Trump will fly to Ochopee to join DeSantis at Alligator Alcatraz, the state's controversial new migrant detention facility in the Everglades, the Florida […]
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, (D-FL) released a statement, urging the Trump administration to find a permanent solution for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), holders fleeing political collapse in Haiti. The U.S. initially offered TPS to Haitians in January 2010 following a devastating earthquake and has since extended it to those fleeing the collapse of the Haitian government, […]
Environmental protection groups filed suit against state and federal immigration authorities on Friday to block construction on the new "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, two non-profits dedicated to environmental protection. […]
Florida's new Senate Democratic Leader, Lori Berman, sent a Friday letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis comparing the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center to a "makeship prison camp" that may violate the U.S. Constitution. Berman, hastily elected to lead Senate Democrats in the hours after Sen. Jason Pizzo suddenly abandoned the role and quit the party, referred […]
Representative Randy Fine (R-FL) did not mince words about illegal aliens in a recent interview with The Floridian, saying, "I want every illegal to be deported." "Everything they have done since they have come here is fruit of the poisonous tree," Rep. Fine added. "They should not have come here in the first place. They broke […]
The cause of death for a 49-year-old Canadian citizen detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami is under investigation, the federal agency revealed Thursday. Johnny Noviello was pronounced dead by the Miami Fire Rescue Department at 1:36 p.m. on Monday, 42 minutes after staff at the Bureau of Prisons Federal Detention Center found him […]
Despite backlash surrounding Florida's emerging "Alligator Alcatraz" migrant detention facility in the Everglades, Gov. Ron DeSantis already has his sights set on another center for captured non-citizens: Camp Blanding, the training base for the Florida National Guard. "We'll probably do something similar up at Camp Blanding, which is where our National Guard headquarters to train," […]
MIAMI – U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) visited the Krome Detention Center, responding to complaints of poor living conditions from inmates detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Detainees raised concerns about limited access to clean bathrooms, clothing, medication, and long wait times for food. During his visit, Rep. Gimenez spoke with one detainee […]
Federal immigration authorities have approved Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility in the Everglades, the state's chief legal officer announced Monday. In a Monday interview with right-wing personality Benny Johnson, Uthmeier revealed that the detention facility for undocumented migrants will be up and running by early July. It will be the sixth […]
By: Raeylee Barefield Latino business leaders, veterans, and working families are among the many urging the Senate to pass President Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), a sweeping tax plan aimed at delivering major relief to working Americans. “Latinos–who historically supported President Trump’s America First Agenda in November–are counting on the Senate to pass The […]