Florida 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 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.
Laws that target them based on their status as immigrants violate the fundamental principles of fair and equal treatment. When the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one vulnerable group, everyone’s rights are at risk.
The ACLU of Florida has been an outspoken critic of Florida policies that link state driver’s licenses to immigration documents, give local police the power to enforce federal immigration laws, and indefinitely detain Haitian asylum-seekers behind bars, while releasing refugees from other nationalities to pursue their asylum claims.
The ACLU of Florida is committed to protecting the borders of our Constitution to ensure the protections in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.
Learn more on how you can help empower immigrant communities here.
