Immigration

Fort Myers celebrated Constitution Day by welcoming 28 new U.S. citizens. In sweltering heat, immigrants realized their long-held dreams of American citizenship in a touching ceremony.

Undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens gained new legal protections this week. WGCU’s Cary Barbor describes how it affects Florida.

As of June 5, the Biden administration took steps to limit immigration through the southern border of the U.S.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a key part of a 2023 law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that aimed to crack down on illegal immigration, finding the law “intrudes upon territory” under the responsibility of the federal government.The lawsuit, filed in July by The Farmworker Association of Florida, Inc. and individual plaintiffs, centers on part of the law (SB 1718) that threatens felony charges for people who transport an immigrant who “entered the United States in violation of law and has not been inspected by the federal government since his or her unlawful entry.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered more than 250 law enforcement officers and soldiers to the Florida Keys on Wednesday to help stop what he anticipates to be an increase in Haitian migrants fleeing violence in their country.The Republican governor said in a news release he is sending a mix of 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 23 officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 48 members of the Florida National Guard, 30 Florida Highway Patrol troopers and up to 133 members of the Florida State Guard.

Lyrianne Gonzalez in New York is looking for Florida descendants of the federal program that brought foreign workers to farms here. The guest worker program dates back decades, and usually brought foreigners to American farms for set periods of time, and then the workers went back home. But some guest workers chose to pursue legal U.S. citizenship, and then settled in Florida and other farm states.

Lucas Benitez is a founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. He is now in the company of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, John Lewis and the 14th Dali Lama of Tibet

In the past six years Antonia Rios had became a face and the voice of calling for change and dignity.

Biographer Laura Tillman recounts Lalo Garcia's memories of working in the Florida fields.

The Lee County Legal Aid Society has begun representing immigrant children and teens.