Photo of agricultural workers by Tim Mossholder via Unsplash.
By Jessica Abramsky and Briana Bermudez | MediaLab@FAU
Dec 19, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation plan when he takes office in January, one that will target millions of immigrants across the US. With his inauguration just a month away, immigrants across South Florida are increasingly fearful of his crackdown – not just undocumented workers but also tens of thousands of citizens who have a loved one without legal status to stay in America.
On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to launch what he calls “the largest deportation program in American history.” In a rally at Madison Square Garden days before the election, he declared, “I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail, then kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible.”
His comments have sparked anxiety among the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Many legal immigrants, like Nanyarid Gonzalez, an immigration attorney in Boca Raton, fear rapid policy shifts reminiscent of Trump’s first term.
“We are concerned because we saw what it was like during the first Trump administration,” said Gonzalez, who is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. “There’s been a lot of anti-immigrant rhetoric, and we are watchful of how it will affect our clients and our ability to advocate for them.”
The fear extends beyond undocumented immigrants themselves to their families, many of whom are U.S. citizens. “They are scared of being separated from their relatives and of detention. One client told me he fears losing all his rights,” Gonzalez added.
Trump’s plans have stirred division across the Latino community as well. In Miami-Dade County, where nearly 70% of residents are Hispanic, Trump won by an 11-point margin, highlighting a complex relationship with his policies.
Alejandro Morales, an Ecuadorian American and Trump supporter, acknowledged the need for stronger border security but expressed unease about separating families. “I like his tough stance on illegal immigration, but I also don’t want people taken away from their families,” said Morales, a student at Palm Beach State College.
Others are less forgiving. Alina Genovese, a Dominican American who voted for Vice President Harris in November, criticized the mass deportation initiative as fear-mongering. “Many of the people he wants to deport work in manual labor jobs that others wouldn’t do. This plan is inhumane and impractical,” she said.
Elijah Perez, whose family includes both citizens and undocumented immigrants, highlighted the personal toll such policies can take. “For mixed-race families like mine, this creates fear and insecurity,” said Perez, whose father is Dominican and runs a moving company in Wellington; his mother is from Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of West Africa. “People don’t see the human side of immigration, only numbers and statistics.”
Experts question the feasibility of mass deportation. Gonzalez, the founding member of Gonzalez Conception Law, noted that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are especially vulnerable.
“Logistically and financially, mass deportation will be difficult,” she said. “But there will likely be increased enforcement, especially in red states where local law enforcement collaborates with immigration authorities.” TPS is a temporary immigration status provided to “nationals of specifically designated countries that are confronting an ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions,” according to the American Immigration Council’s website.
Trump’s incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, a former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), dismissed concerns about family separations, saying in a recent “60 Minutes” interview, “Families can be deported together.” On CNN Wednesday, he said that plans were already underway to deport undocumented immigrants on a mass scale, but he’ll need funding from Congress for it to happen. He also said doesn't think birthright citizenship is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
Trump himself recently indicated that he would like to find a way to help recipients of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, often referred to as dreamers. He said in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press earlier this month, “We have to do something about the Dreamers because these are people that have been brought here at a very young age.”
For many immigrants, the stakes are life or death. Are Americans ready to see masses of people rounded up and sent back to countries ridden with gang violence, political persecution and abject poverty?
Maria Muraca, a Harris voter from Boca Raton, voiced concerns about the consequences of blanket deportations. “Sending people back without considering their circumstances could be a death sentence. This process needs careful deliberation,” she said.
As the Trump administration prepares to assume office in January, America remains deeply divided over its immigration policies. While some view mass deportations as a necessary step toward restoring law and order, others see it as a source of profound fear and injustice. The coming months will determine how these policies unfold and their lasting impact on millions of lives.