South Florida community organizers and politicians denounced President Trump’s immigration policy against several immigrant communities.
Family Action Network Movement held a news conference in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood on Friday to blast the Trump administration’s move to end temporary protected status and parole programs for several migrants, including Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians.
“From one minute to the next, they became undocumented,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Marleine Bastien.
Miami-Dade is home to the largest population of people from those countries in the United States. Organizers said the immigrants are living in fear in their own communities.
“Miami-Dade is what it is because of immigrants,” said Bastien.
Now, organizers said these policies have put migrants at risk of deportation, which tears families apart and hurts the economy.
“Traumatized children and essential workers who have done everything, they have done everything this country has asked them to do, and yet they are forced to live in fear and in hiding,” said Bastien.
Since the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to revoke the parole status of thousands of migrants, the Department of Homeland Security began notifying them that their legal status to work and live in the United States had been revoked, effective immediately.
The notice, sent via email, notified them that if they didn’t obtain a legal status, they should leave the country.
Since 2023, over 500,000 people from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti have entered the United States under the program created by the Biden administration. The migrants arrived with financial sponsors and were given two years to live and work in the country.
Amid all the uncertainty, organizers said fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids is on the immigrants’ minds as well. They also condemned a recent agreement passed by the City of Miami to have the local police force enforce federal immigration laws.
“They will now be treated like violent criminals, which they are not,” said immigration advocate Natalia Menocal.
Organizers said they hope Congress passes an immigration reform law so that immigrants don’t get caught in the middle of politics.
FANM also launched their 2025 immigration summit, which was held at the Little Haiti Cultural Center. The goal of the summit is to unite immigrant communities, discuss issues and provide legal advice.