ORLANDO, Fla. – One day after Florida lawmakers passed a new immigration act, a crowd gathered near Lake Eola in downtown Orlando to show support for immigrants’ rights.
A gathering billed as “We March,” promised to protest against mass deportations, along with “woman’s rights, LGBT rights, and human rights.”
Brianna Larson, 20, led the group Wednesday afternoon, as they chanted “power to the people. No one is illegal!”
News 6 spoke to people in the crowd who said they wanted to march for those who are unable to.
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“My entire family is Colombian and even though they’ve done everything right, everyone is scared,” said one woman.
This week, the Homeland Security office in Miami shared pictures on X of officers “enforcing U.S. immigration laws.”
The Florida Highway Patrol shared similar photos on social media of an operation where 12 people believed to be in the country illegally were detained in Tallahassee.
FHP Executive Director David Kerner spoke alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis in Titusville Wednesday about how the new immigration act passed by state law makers will complicate the agency’s ability to assist federal partners and enforce immigration law.
“Any of what I’ve been doing to help protect Florida, they would get rid of all of that,” Gov. DeSantis said.
DeSantis has openly criticized the bill known as the “Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy” or “TRUMP Act.” He has called the bill “weak.”
“Even though we had proposals that would actually work, they decided to do a bill that not only won’t work but actually is weaker than what we have today,’ said the governor.
Despite his efforts, the republican-led legislature rejected DeSantis’ own proposal and pushed the bill through during a special session this week. The governor said Wednesday he plans to veto it.
“We have designed a bill that will help President Trump,” said Republican Senator Randy Fine, who spoke with News 6 on his way back to central Florida from Tallahassee. “It’s not Florida’s job to be the leader in dealing with an illegal immigration. It’s not our job to get in Donald Trump’s way.”
The measure passed by the legislature this week sets aside half a billion dollars aimed at helping with the president’s crack down on illegal immigration. One of Governor DeSantis’ biggest criticisms with the bill is that it transfers responsibility away from his office and makes the Commissioner of Agriculture in charge of enforcement.
“Obviously the commissioner of agriculture and given how people have come and worked illegally in that industry, is like the fox guarding the hen house. That’s not where immigration enforcement has gone,” said DeSantis.
Opponents of the measure in the legislature have brought up concerns about how it will impact families and communities. People in central Florida participated in a “mock graduation” this week to highlight how the bill will repeal a 2014 law that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates by using out-of-state waivers.
A woman at Wednesday’s rally said “it’s a constant domino effect.”
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