Immigration

Vendors working for the controversial immigration detention facility in the Everglades were reportedly told that it would shut down next month, according to the New York Times and CBS News.

In total, FDEM has spent $458.5 million in emergency funds on illegal immigration enforcement in the past year.

According to the New York Times, Florida officials are in preliminary conversations with the Trump administration to shut down the facility, after the Department of Homeland Security concluded the center is too expensive to operate.

Renewal wait times for the Obama-era program that allows people who were brought to the U.S. as children to temporarily remain in the country and work have increased dramatically in the past year.

U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., wants to overhaul the U.S. immigration system by providing legal pathways for certain immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Republican critics say her bill is too lenient, calling it "mass amnesty." PolitiFact and WLRN analyze whether this legislation would amount to amnesty.

The immigration detention center remains open due to arguments by Florida and the Trump administration. They claimed the state hadn't gotten federal reimbursement, so it wasn't required to follow federal environmental law.

Florida has the largest population of Haitian TPS holders. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision on whether they can continue to live and work in the U.S. will impact the state's caretaking industry.

While the State Immigration Enforcement Council's priority continues to be to remove undocumented immigrants who are violating the law, members have significantly softened their stance for immigrants who do not have criminal records.

More than 20,600 people were arrested by ICE in Florida last year. Their nationalities span more than 120 countries, and their ages range from one to 89 years old.

A Colombian legislator joined local clergy and immigrant advocates on Sunday in demanding Alligator Alcatraz be closed and detainees released to end what they describe as a "national and international" human rights crisis.