Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced a special legislative session to support President-elect Donald Trump’s radical immigration policies. This initiative could significantly impact the state’s Haitian population, the largest in the United States.
The session, scheduled for the week of January 27, will focus on aligning state laws with Trump’s proposed federal measures, including mass deportations and increased border security.
According to DeSantis, the state must prepare to “help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws” by strengthening enforcement efforts and introducing new measures. “We must also take steps to hold accountable those who violate our anti-sanctuary policies,” he said, as reported by the Associated Press.
Florida’s Haitian community is expected to bear the brunt of these changes. Trump has announced his intention to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a program that has provided legal protection to tens of thousands of Haitians since the 2010 earthquake. The humanitarian parole program, another critical resource for Haitian families, also faces the threat of elimination.
The potential dismantling of these programs could leave many Haitians without legal status, making them vulnerable to deportation. Human rights advocates warn that ending these protections would disrupt lives and tear families apart, particularly in immigrant-dense neighborhoods like Little Haiti in Miami.
DeSantis has pledged to allocate millions of dollars to bolster immigration enforcement, including potentially activating the Florida National Guard and State Guard. He has also vowed to hold local elected officials accountable if they fail to comply with federal immigration mandates, even threatening suspension for those who “neglect their duties,” according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s promise of mass deportations raises logistical questions about the implementation of such measures. With only days remaining before his inauguration, Trump is preparing to issue more than 100 executive orders addressing immigration and other policy priorities.
In addition to immigration enforcement, DeSantis has urged lawmakers to tackle other urgent state issues, such as hurricane relief, reforms in the condominium market following the Surfside collapse, and changes to Florida’s ballot initiative process.
As Florida prepares to implement these policies, the state’s immigrant communities, particularly Haitians, face an uncertain future.
For those without green cards or U.S. citizenship, the termination of programs like TPS could usher in a period of heightened vulnerability and precariousness for which many are unprepared.