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
ORLANDO—Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier solidified his commitment to illegal immigration enforcement under Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling it a top priority of his agenda at the Republican Freedom Forum in Orlando on Saturday. "My top priority is to help law enforcement detain as many illegal immigrants as possible," Uthmeier told The Floridian. "We're going to […]
Hundreds of immigrants illegally in Florida have been deported from Alligator Alcatraz, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Friday. 100 of these migrants have been fully deported through flights chartered by the Department of Homeland Security, while hundreds more have exited the Everglades detention center and are en route to leaving the country through a stopover […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis defended Friday the state agency that constructed the Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention center without fully notifying local officials. He lauded the Florida Division of Emergency Management for not "twiddling their thumbs" and building the Everglades center in just eight days—even though local officials in Collier and Miami-Dade counties were still chasing down […]
MIAMI – Florida Democratic Representatives Darren Soto, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxwell Frost, and Jared Moskowitz, along with a bipartisan Florida legislative delegation, launched an investigation into inhumane conditions at the newly opened detention center in the Everglades. The detention center referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” has been a controversial topic among many, with Rep. Soto […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Florida Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R), alongside 20 other House members, introduced a new and improved version of the DIGNITY Act. Dubbed the “Dignity Act of 2025,” the bill boldly reforms immigration by building on the foundation of the “Dignity Act of 2023.” At the press conference where Rep. Salazar introduced the […]
Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) and Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) have teamed up to introduce a bill tightening vetting protocols for sponsorship of unaccompanied migrant children. In April 2023, Sen. Moody, who was Florida's Attorney General at the time, decried the Biden Administration's laxity in vetting sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children, accusing them of facilitating human […]
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) did not mince words in dismissing Democratic rhetoric about illegal immigration in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Evening Edit, saying they "do not care about illegals" and that their words are "propaganda for the midterms." Rep. Luna said the talk of "concentration camps" and "disappearing/kidnapping people" is "simply not […]
Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) commented on the recent anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attacks during an appearance on Fox Business's Evening Edit, saying Democrats' rhetoric has escalated from "defund the police" to "attack the police." Rep. Steube also stated that "[Attorney General] Pam Bondi should investigate these elected officials if these Democratic elected officials are intentionally […]
Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) condemned Democratic silence about an attack on Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents in Alvarado, Texas, during a recent appearance on Fox Business's Evening Edit, saying it was effectively a form of support for the violence. Ten people were arrested for shooting at ICE agents in front of a detention center for […]
In a one-sentence order, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to consider the Florida attorney general's request to reinstate parts of a controversial new immigration law that a lower court had blocked. This means certain Florida police and prosecutors still won't be able to arrest and charge undocumented immigrants with state-level crimes, as the new […]
Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) condemned Democratic silence about an attack on Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents in Alvarado, Texas, during a recent appearance on Fox Business's Evening Edit, saying it was effectively a form of support for the violence. Ten people were arrested for shooting at ICE agents in front of a detention center for […]
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 […]
