Immigrants' Justice

Immigrants' Rights

Florida is home to nearly five million immigrants who are our neighbors, co-workers, and the backbone of critical industries. Over a third of the state's agricultural workers and nearly a quarter of its construction workers are immigrants. Nearly half of health aides and over a quarter of nurses in Florida are immigrants. They have filled vital gaps in our state’s workforce for decades and contribute nearly 12 billion dollars in state and local taxes yearly. Additionally, over 700,000 mixed-status families and approximately 250,000 U.S. citizens live with an undocumented parent in Florida.

Laws that target them based on their status as immigrants violate the fundamental principles of fair and equal treatment. When the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one vulnerable group, everyone’s rights are at risk.

The ACLU of Florida has been an outspoken critic of Florida policies that link state driver’s licenses to immigration documents, give local police the power to enforce federal immigration laws, and indefinitely detain Haitian asylum-seekers behind bars, while releasing refugees from other nationalities to pursue their asylum claims.

The ACLU of Florida is committed to protecting the borders of our Constitution to ensure the protections in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.

Learn more on how you can help empower immigrant communities here.

The Latest

News & Commentary
Placeholder image

Jose Antonio Vargas on What We Get Wrong About Immigration Reform

Vargas shares with the ACLU the common misconceptions about immigration and immigrants that he’s encountered through work with his nonprofit, Define America.
News & Commentary
Placeholder image

From Day One, Trump's Immigration Agenda Has Grown More Extreme

Trump has sought every way to terrorize entire communities in a hunt for our immigrant neighbors that will put all of our civil liberties in danger. As the ACLU prepares for the fight ahead, we offer three key areas to watch.
News & Commentary
Bacardi Jackson Headshot

Bacardi Jackson: "We are seeing a concerted effort to erase the history of certain people"

Bacardi Jackson is an attorney and executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. She's a powerful voice in the fight against book censorship in Florida and in defense of democracy.
News & Commentary
Placeholder image

The Supreme Court Cases to Watch

This term, the court will issue decisions impacting immigration, free speech, religious liberty, LGBTQ rights and voting rights.