South Florida immigrants fear mass deportations amid Trump's return to office
MIAMI - Immigrants across South Florida are expressing growing anxiety over possible mass deportations, a campaign promise by President-elect Donald Trump.
"I've been living with anxiety. I'm scared and stressed about what's going to happen to me," a Nicaraguan woman, who is so frightened that she only identifies herself as Maria, told CBS News Miami.
She represents the voice of many people who came to the U.S., applied for political asylum, and received a work permit. But now, she says, future government officials are demonizing immigrants without understanding why they are in the U.S.
Maria said she and her husband were arrested for protesting against the Ortega regime in Nicaragua. They fled to the U.S. without a visa, entering illegally.
Tom Homan, who was recently named "border czar," told 60 Minutes who would be deported:
"It's not going to be a mass sweep of neighborhoods... they'll be targeted arrests; we'll know who we're going to arrest...."
"I believe I'm at risk because I still do not have a status. I'm waiting to hear about my political asylum," said Maria.
"Do I expect mass deportations? No," Willie Allen, an immigration attorney in South Florida for over 40 years, told CBS News Miami. He believes that large-scale deportations will target people currently crossing the border.
"Those who are already inside the United States, have applied for asylum, and are waiting for asylum hearings are not going to be deported now," said Allen.
If, down the road, Maria loses her asylum case and receives a deportation order, then the situation changes.
With many local immigrants benefiting from temporary programs under the Biden administration, the looming policy shift has left them concerned about their future.
As CBS News Miami reported from Little Havana, many immigrants, including those from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti, have been residing in the U.S. under a program called "Humanitarian Parole."
This initiative allowed individuals from these countries to live in the U.S. for two years, provided they had a sponsor. For many of these immigrants, that two-year period is now ending, leaving them uncertain about what comes next.
Elvis Alvarado, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, expressed a different perspective.
Alvarado, who has sought work daily at a local Home Depot for over a decade, said he supported Trump's presidential bid, hoping stricter border control would bring more job stability for those already in the U.S.
He remains unconcerned about his own deportation status.
According to Willie Allen, those at greatest risk are the thousands who came under Humanitarian Parole.
"I'm most worried about the humanitarian parolees, that's a significant number," he said. Allen explained that while approximately 120,000 Cubans may be protected by the Cuban Adjustment Act and Venezuelans might have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), others could be more vulnerable.
"Haitians, about 200,000 of them, and 90,000 Nicaraguans could face deportation if these programs are rolled back," Allen noted.
Their only option may be to apply for political asylum, but Allen warns that the process could become more challenging under the incoming administration.
"I expect that those applications for asylum and work permits are going to be difficult to obtain," he said, stressing that the timing and political climate may make it an uphill battle for many hoping to stay in the U.S.