Groups aiding immigrants in building economic independence and pursuing citizenship are grappling with funding challenges exacerbated by anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has celebrated strict new state laws limiting social services for those who are undocumented, and invalidating their drivers licenses issued by other states.

Millions more tax dollars are being used to expand his migrant relocation program, and hospitals getting Medicaid dollars are required to ask for a patient's immigration status.

Renata Bozzetto, deputy director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said the policies create an environment which scares away donors.

"What we are seeing is a hostile context," Bozzetto pointed out. "The difficulty is the increased, I would say, a little bit less of space, that the state can be supportive to immigrants."

Less than a quarter of funding for migrant justice organizations comes from within Florida. The national funding average for pro-immigrant and pro-refugee groups is $7 per immigrant, compared with $1.50 in Florida, according to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.

Cairo Mendes, director, state and local programs for the nonprofit Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, said philanthropic donations are needed to match public dollars and support the work done for migrants and immigrants by nontraditional groups. But new laws like Florida's Senate Bill 1718 make it difficult to rally support.

"It's creating a chilling effect on these communities, and people have been leaving the state in droves," Mendes observed. "They're afraid to go to the hospital in case they need access to something, because they are afraid that their name, their address, all of that information is going to be shared with Immigration."

Mendes educates funding partners about on-the-ground needs in states. And Bozzetto noted she sees two types of funders: those who understand, and those who want to see immediate results. She explained the ones seeking quick change are leaving the state, because civic engagement takes time to deliver progress.

"That voter education process is much more costly than just doing a 'get-out-the-vote' initiative," Mendes emphasized.

Bozzetto added her group and others depend on donor support to provide legal aid and other direct services tackling the root causes of inequality and protect basic human rights.

As the immigration debate continues, many children of immigrants in Texas who are American citizens are caught in the middle.

An elementary school student in Cooke County reportedly committed suicide after being bullied at school with false threats ICE Agents were going to take her parents away.

Lorena Tule-Romain, cofounder and chief people officer at Imm Schools, participated in a panel on bullying offered by Children at Risk. She said school districts must recognize warning signs.

"Have protocols for 'How do I address these situations?'" Tule-Romain recommended. "And for educators and all supporting staff to be trained on 'What are the identifiers or behaviors that I can keep an eye out to ensure that all our students feel safe and welcome when they are in our care, in our campuses?'"

She pointed out school districts across the state are reporting increased absences among immigrant students. More than 2 million children in Texas have at least one immigrant parent.

Statistics show immigrant children face racist bullying more than their counterparts because of their accents, cultural differences or economic backgrounds.

Jaime Freeny with the Center for School Behavioral Health in Houston said parents play a role in how their children perceive and treat others.

"Oftentimes, students are picking up on the attitude and the beliefs and the stereotypes that they hear among their own parents and grandparents and family members," Freeny explained. "Then they bring that into the school environment. We know for all kids bullying has long-lasting effects on cognitive, emotional and academic development."

She added the current political climate means school districts must give staff the tools they need to respond.

"We have to provide schools a way to enforce zero tolerance policies that specifically address race, ethnicity, immigration status and language-based bullying," Freeny urged. "We have to teach students and educators how to stop it in the moment. What are the words that you can say to pivot the conversation so that it becomes one of celebration?"


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A year after the death of detainee Charles Leo Daniel, a 61-year-old Trinidadian migrant, legislators and human rights advocates continue pushing to close Tacoma's Northwest ICE Processing Center.

Daniel died in custody in March 2024 after four years in solitary confinement. The University of Washington Center for Human Rights has reported human rights violations at the center, including medical neglect and unsafe conditions.

Rufina Reyes, director of La Resistencia, a grassroots immigrants rights organization remaining in contact with detainees, said they report poor sanitation and lack of drinking water.

"They don't clean, they don't have people to work inside," Reyes reported. "It's really bad."

In response to multiple lawsuits involving the processing center, Washington state lawmakers are pushing for increased transparency. House Bill 1232 aims to enforce stricter standards and make inspection findings public. Lawmakers opposed to the new bill argued because the center is run by ICE, it is a federal facility and not under the control of the state.

The center is designed to hold people whose immigration cases are in progress. La Resistencia noted some people there have agreed to be deported yet are still being held. Reyes pointed out there have been five hunger strikes already this year, and three people have refused food for the past week.

"There's some people on hunger strike because they want to be released or they want to be deported," Reyes noted.

Reyes stressed more planes have been arriving at the processing center than usual this month, bringing migrants from Arizona, Texas and Nevada and believes the increased activity, along with the Trump administration's goal of mass deportations, is scary for migrant communities living in the area.

People are afraid to go to their routine immigration meetings, she added, fearing detention. The center's contract with GEO Group, which runs the facility, expires this year. Reyes urged public pressure on state legislators to prevent its renewal and close the facility.


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As the Trump administration continues to implement aggressive immigration policies, many Hispanic residents in Florida, a key voting bloc for Trump, are facing increased scrutiny and fear of deportation.

Eliseo Santana, a Puerto Rican veteran and civil servant with more than 30 years of service to his community, is among them. Santana serves as regional manager for the Alianza Center and recently spoke out against the current climate of discrimination and the demand for documentation targeting Hispanic individuals. He expressed his frustration and demanded respect from all levels of government.

"I insist that my rights as a citizen of the State of Florida be upheld," Santana emphasized. "And that our legislators respect and leave me alone and stop making laws that would empower people to discriminate against me, to select me because of my looks, just because I'm Hispanic."

The Trump administration's recent moves to tighten immigration from Venezuela and El Salvador have further heightened tensions within Hispanic communities. The policies are part of a broader strategy to curb immigration and have sparked widespread concern among Hispanic Americans, many of whom feel targeted based on their ethnicity.

Santana is a U.S. citizen by birth and stressed Puerto Ricans are often unfairly targeted despite their citizenship status.

"There are 21 nationalities that identify as Hispanic, and in the state of Florida," Santana pointed out. "Puertorriqueno are the number one and Puertorriqueno, Puerto Ricans, are U.S. citizens by birth. It is important for everyone to recognize that because someone looks Hispanic does not mean they're undocumented or they're a criminal."

The Trump administration's efforts to tighten immigration policies have hit Venezuelan immigrants in Florida especially hard, many of whom depend on Temporary Protected Status to live and work legally in the U.S.

Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program for individuals fleeing conflict or disaster and has been a lifeline for Venezuelans escaping their country's crisis. However, the administration's push to roll back Temporary Protected Status protections has left thousands in limbo, fueling outrage among immigrant advocates and Hispanic communities.


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