SB 1718: The nightmare on the way to the American Dream

Welcome to Magic City

Since May 21st, we have come to know Miami as a multicultural city where immigrant communities make up 27% of the total population. Walking through the streets, the socioeconomic clash and the differences between social classes are clearly visible. Communities such as Coconut Grove demonstrate this social division, where people not only live together by nationality, but also by race. This historic city is one of the firsts in the county. It once boasted of a deep history rooted in Bahamian and African American traditions, most visible in the historic shotgun homes built by Bahamian migrants and Black civil rights leaders that contributed to the Civil Rights movement in Dade County. As we walked this commnuity on our first day, we noticed the small, one-story structures where the humble nature of their owners predominates over the luxurious and extravagant. The pavement, visibly cracked, makes walking difficult. These conditions are also seen in the cemetery in the middle of the street, which has no protection other than a small fence of no more than 30 centimeters. This humility quickly gives way to luxury. The adjoining street is enclosed by a wooden fence that divides the African-American neighborhood from the Caucasian neighborhood. The streets in this new section enjoy noticeably better structural differences, such as nicely paved streets, modern houses with more than two stories on both sides, and some higher-end cars than previously seen. As our starting point to learning more about Miami, we could not help but note how classism, elitism, and racial segregation could be so apparent in a city recognized around the world for its diversity.

Senate Bill 1718

During our time in Miami we learned that a new law, which targets immigrant communities, was recently passed. We ventured south to learn more about this law, its expected impact, and long term consequences for those who will be directly affected. Senate Bill 1718 could trigger the repatriation of undocumented residents in the state, while also targeting businesses that employ those inidividuals. It was passed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, and will go into effect on July 1st. According to Wendy, representative of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, this law will affect the most vulnerable communities, especially construction and agricultural workers. However, the havoc that this law will cause when it becomes effective can already be felt in these types of jobs. While in Homestead we spoke to a Jamaican fruit vendor who expressed, “Yesterday, a farmer came to us fruit vendors while we were picking up and he asked us if we would be willing to go work his farm for the day. None of his workers showed up.” When asked if any of the vendors went, she responded with a chuckle and said, “No.”

Penalties of SB 1718

1. Private employers with 25 or more workers must use E-verify to determine an employee’s eligibility to legally work. Those who do not use E-verify could face fines or suspension of their license to operate.
2. Public agencies must use E-verify to determine a new employee’s eligibility.
3. It is a 3rd degree felony to knowlingly transport an undocumented person over the age of 18 into the state of Florida, and a 2nd degree felony for the transport of a minor.
4. Hospitals must now collect information from patients that details whether or not the patient is a U.S. citizen, resident, or unlawfully in the U.S.
5. Undocumented immigrants with a Driver’s license or permit issued by another state cannot use it to drive in the stae of Florida.

Amy

Although this fear and uncertainty can be felt throughout the immigrant community, people are not giving up hope without a fight and hoping to vindicate themselves in the process. A clear example of this resilience is embodied in Amy, a 25 year old Indigenous Guatemalan woman who has dedicated the last 7 years of her life to chasing the American dream. Amy and her family received us in their home in Homestead, located south of Miami. From the moment she reached in 2016 she has worked in various occupations, beginning with work in a plant nursery. Now, she is a small business owner who operates a food truck selling Guatemalan staples. She has a robust social media following, 200,000 and counting, where she promotes her business and documents her life in Homestead. From the moment we entered the family made us feel welcomed, offering us water, Powerade and mangos. As we got to know Amy we discovered that she walked from Guatemala to Mexico, a journey she laments to discuss. She now focuses on the future of her business, family, and completing her process of becoming an American citizen as she is on the pathway through political asylum.

The most surprising turn of events occurred as we prepared to depart. Amy’s brother, Anibal, denounced the situation that immigrants are being forced to face as a result of SB1718: “We came here running from something bad to reach here and watch history repeat itself.” In fact, despite the harshness of what he experienced, he shared details about his journey on the way to the United States, “We had to walk 11 days through the desert, avoiding the guard that patrols the border. The last 4 days we had to survive without water or by drinking dirty stagnant water that we found on the way, something I would never do now,” he recalls. He also adds that “along the way, in addition to the risk of being deported, we constantly heard the sound of rattlesnakes and to sleep we rubbed ourselves with garlic to avoid being bitten.” Aníbal, despite not suffering direct discrimination, explains that his wife, born in the United States of Salvadoran descent, came to receive words such as “what are you doing here? Go where you came from.”

From our observations, within a family we find different, and completely opposite perspectives to face this new situation. While Amy looks forward to a bright future, awaiting her imminent naturalization, her brother contemplates a somewhat less hopeful future for the community. This is the point of divergence for this family, where the glass of water is half full for one, it remains half empty for the other. Nonetheless, their differing views do not get in the way of their support for each other- where it’s clear to see that family and hard work are the glue that holds them together as they navigate their paths to the American Dream.

Miss Elvira: Homestead Farmer

Our attempts to reach Commisioners Alex de la Portilla, Joe Carollo and Mayor Francis Suarez to discuss SB 1718

Miss Marta

It’s June 1st, better known as A Day without Immigrants, where organizations urge businesses to stand in solidarity with immigrant communities across the state by closing in an effort to protest SB1718. On this day, we find ourselves at Juan Pablo Duarte Park, located in Allapatah, an ethnically diverse community that has a noticeably distinct vibe, one that emanates the Caribbean ambience of those who inhabit it. It’s known for a large Dominican population and a host of other Caribbean nations and Central American migrants. This was most visible in the array of flags we saw as we drove through the neighborhoods–Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Guatemala and several others, and a host of restaurants and businesses that represented various countries. Above all though, today is the day we meet with Miss Marta, a Honduran immigrant who has been living in Miami since 1998.

Miss Marta is 60 years old, and walked from Honduras to the Texas border- a path she encourages no one to take. In her native country of Honduras she left her three children, who up until that moment she had raised on her own. With her departure her kids would have to continue on without her, as she would try to make a better life for them in a place she had never been to. She is warm and welcoming, despite our tardiness and inexperience as we nervously attempted to unload our cameras, lights, audio equipment and tripod. Thankfully, she was patient and wanted to share her story. She told us, “I’ve stared death in the face” as she detailed her path north. Despite her age, she works long hours cleaning. This job allows her to afford basic necessities, while also supporting her kids and grandkids. She has been able to work due to her Temporary Protective Status (TPS), which was granted after Hurricane Mitch.

To reach the United States Miss Marta had to cross the final leg of her trip on a boat. As they crossed, the boat in front of her was hijacked. Passengers on her boat panicked to turn the vessel around and chaos ensued, the men scrambled. Miss Marta fell, and several men landed on top of her, causing an iron bar to pierce her right shin, a scar she demonstrates to us by raising pant leg. Despite her injury, she continued on the journey north with the assistance of two Hondurans who helped to carry her the rest of the way. Once she made it to America, she refused to allow her kids to join her. The path here was too difficult, she said.

In spite of her insistence that her three kids remain in Honduras, they undertook the journey on their own. They, too, wanted a better life that could no longer be attained in Honduras. Her son journeyed alone. As he made it closer north he was captured by coyotes, who beat him up and stole what little money he had on him. This forced him to jump on the well-known “train of death” and call his mother from there.

This migration pathway caused 853 deaths in 2022, according to the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. But her daughter’s story is undoubtedly the most moving. When she was pregnant, she set out to join her mother on the other side of the border. However, things didn’t go as planned. Miss Marta recalls, visibly moved, the moment when she received a call about her daughter, seeking money in exchange for the mother’s chance to see her daughter alive again. Three years later, after being repatriated to Honduras, she tried again with her 3 year old son whom she was pregnant with during her first attempt. This time she found better luck and was reunited with her mother in the United States.

As our conversation winds down, we notice Miss Marta’s wariness. In her we see the aspirations of many who journey to cities like Miami in search of opportunities, community, and safety. Her hopes of working hard, buying her own home, and supporting her family are suddenly threatened by SB 1718, but she insists that even if her dreams do not materialze here, she is grateful for the life she has been able to create in the Magic City.