Trump’s mass deportation plan raises concern in Immokalee
President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations is raising concerns in Immokalee, one of Southwest Florida’s largest immigrant communities.
Vendors at the Immokalee State Farmers Market say fear of deportation is already affecting business. Frank Parra, a fruit and vegetable vendor who has lived in Immokalee since he was 4 years old, says fewer customers are coming to the market during what is typically a busy season.
"I hear a lot of people, not just in agriculture but in construction and all over, are being picked up," Parra said. "People are scared, frightened."
Parra says his family came to the U.S. for an opportunity at a good life. "The United States is the dream and the dream here, you know, we all come to live it, and we want a piece of it, and that's the hard part," he said.
Trump’s plan includes deporting all illegal immigrants in the U.S. In Florida alone, it's estimated there are more than a million undocumented people. Governor Ron DeSantis has scheduled a special legislative session in two weeks to discuss how the state will enforce Trump’s immigration policies.
Immigration attorney Ricardo Skerrett says deporting large numbers of people isn’t simple.
"It’s difficult to deport someone after they’ve requested asylum," Skerrett said. "Even if the person is detained, the person still has a right to a bond hearing before an immigration judge. Even though they're not citizens, they have certain due process rights."
Skerrett believes Trump is using fear to encourage "self-deportations."
"As to whether he's going to be able to do mass deportations and, and open up camps to keep people in while they are deported ... I don't think that's reasonable," Skerrett said.
As of now, Trump has not released a detailed plan for how deportations would be carried out. He is set to take office next Monday.