Community Steps Up for Families in midst of ICE Detainments

CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT ARRESTS REACHED A RECORD HIGH IN JUNE. THAT IS ACCORDING TO NEW GOVERNMENT DATA. AN ANALYSIS BY THE GUARDIAN ABOUT THE LATEST NUMBERS PUBLISHED BY ICE SHOWS THAT FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICERS ARRESTED MORE THAN 43,000 PEOPLE LAST MONTH. IT'S THE HIGHEST NUMBER SINCE DONALD TRUMP TOOK OFFICE IN JANUARY OF 2025. THE INCREASED ARRESTS LEAVE MORE FAMILIES SEPARATED FROM LOVED ONES. AND IN BONITA SPRINGS, A GRASSROOTS EFFORT IS STEPPING UP TO HELP THOSE IMPACTED FAMILIES. WGCUS CULTURE AND CONNECTIONS. REPORTER ELIZABETH ANDARGE HAS MORE ON THE INITIATIVE CALLED ADOPT AN ICE WIDOW, FAMILY. >> THE ADOPTION STARTED INFORMALLY TODAY. 15 FAMILIES ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM ADOPTERS COMMIT TO MONTHLY SUPPORT A MINIMUM OF $100 A MONTH. ONE OF THOSE FAMILIES BELONGS TO ROSA. HER DOCTOR, JOAN BURTON HAS BEEN VISITING HER FOR MONTHS NOW. >> IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY GOING THROUGH SUCH A VERY TOUGH TIME. AND THAT I HAD NO IDEA OF TOUGHER GUN LAWS. >> ROSA TOAST TO WEAR A TRADITIONAL PIECE FROM HER HOME COUNTRY OF GUATEMALA ALONGSIDE HER 7 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, GENESIS, THAT SHE NO RAISES ALONE. AND WAS THERE WITH HER HUSBAND WAS TO TEEN. BUT KU ABOUT COLEMAN. THIS UNFORTUNATELY, MY LITTLE ONE WITNESS, THE WHOLE THING >> WE WERE WE WERE UNDER A CAR WHEN THE CHAIR WHEN THEY DO HEARD THAT AWAY. AND AND SHE CRY AND SHE SHE HAS. SO FOR SOME TRAUMA ABOUT IT, AND THAT HAS THEY WERE. >> ROSA SAYS HER HUSBAND CAME TO THE UNITED STATES IN 2000. HE WAS DETAINED ON JANUARY 6 OF THIS YEAR. NOW SHE'S RAISING GENESIS ALONE. WHAT SACRIFICES HAVE YOU HAD TO MAKE TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY GOING DURING THIS TRANSITION? >> MY WANT SEE ME AS WE'RE VERY HARD BECAUSE MY HUSBAND. >> WAS THE MAIN BREADWINNER. I DID WORK, BUT I JUST CONTINUE TO LITTER AND 2. DUE TO THE FAMILY FOR THE IT'S ALL ON ME. AND I JUST WORK A LIMITED NUMBER OF HOURS A WEEK. >> BURTON SAYS WATCHING ROSA HOLD HER FAMILY TOGETHER IS WHAT KEEPS ARE COMING BACK THIS MOTHER IS CREATIVE. >> ABOUT SURVIVING IN THIS ENVIRONMENT. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. THEY SERVE 5 AND I. DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT AND A HORRIBLE SITUATION THAT WE IN US AS A COUNTRY HAVE PUT AN END. >> PLUS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF PEOPLE AWAY, INCLUDING WOMEN WITH BABIES. THE KIDS HAVE REMAIN WITHOUT A MUELLER. I JUST WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THE FOLKS COME HERE TO WORK. NOT TO COMMIT CRIMES. >> AND FOR WGCU NEWS, I'M ELISBETH ANDARGE >> FOR MORE ON THE ASSISTANCE FOR IMMIGRANT FAMILIES. I AM JOINED BY ADRIANA RIVERA. SHE'S THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR THE FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION OR FLICK THIS RIVERA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IS THE MISSION OF YOUR ORGANIZATION AND HOW YOU HELP IMMIGRANTS? YES, SO WE FIGHT FOR. >> EVERYONE'S RIGHTS. WHETHER YOU ARE AN IMMIGRANT. >> WHETHER YOU HAVE BEEN HERE FOR YOUR WHOLE LIFE, YOU KNOW, WE WE BELIEVE THAT IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS AND THAT WE ARE ALL INTERTWINED A SPECIALLY IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA WHERE ONE OUT OF EVERY 5 FLORIDIANS WERE BORN OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW FLORIDA IS ONE OF THEIR LEADERS IN IMMIGRATION ARRESTS. >> THERE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN AN INCREASE RECENTLY IN ICE ACTIVITY. >> DO YOU HAVE ANY UNDERSTANDING OF WHY THIS IS BEEN HAPPENING WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE AN UPTICK AND IMMIGRANT ARRESTS? YES. SO WE HAVE SEEN. >> AFTER OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ IN MINNESOTA. THE PUBLIC THAT'S JUST NOT HAPPY WITH THE WAY THAT THESE ARRESTS WERE HAPPENING IN THE WAY THAT THESE HUGE RAIDS WERE GOING ON IN. THEY WERE A LOT OF VERY LIKE FAST AND PHIRI IS WITH A LOT OF POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE. A LOT OF VIDEOS CAME OUT OF IT FROM HOMELAND SECURITY THEMSELVES UP FROM EYES. THEY MADE A BIG SHOW OF EVERYTHING AND IT BACKFIRED. SO NOW THEY'RE PIVOTING TO A MORE QUIET APPROACH, NOT A LEFT DEADLIER AS WE HAVE SEEN LAST WEEK. UNFORTUNATELY. SO NOT LET THAT LEA NOT LESS AGGRESSIVE, JUST QUIETER, BUT DON'T BE FOOLED BECAUSE THESE ARRESTS ARE STILL HAPPENING. AND THE RAMPING UP FAMILIES ARE STILL BEING SEPARATED. COMMUNITIES ARE STILL HURTING. THEY ARE NOW ASKING FOR 2000 ARRESTS PER DAY AND THAT EQUALS ABOUT 75 ARRESTS PER DAY OF EACH OF THE 25 FIELD OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES HERE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. WE HAVE WELL, A VERY, VERY AGGRESSIVELY ADOPTED THE 2.87 G AGREEMENT MODEL. THAT IS THE MODEL THAT BASICALLY DEPUTIZE IS ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT BODY TO DO. FEDERAL IMMIGRATION WORK STILL IN FLORIDA, WE HAVE SEEN, YOU KNOW, AGENCIES FROM FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL TO SOMETHING AS REALLY MINDBLOWING AS FISH AND WILDLIFE AND THE FLORIDA LOTTERY. AND LOCAL UNIVERSITY LAW ENFORCEMENT LIKE THE EFI YOU LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE YOU LAW ENFORCEMENT ADOPT THESE MODELS. SO FLORIDA IS, YOU KNOW, ON THE FOREFRONT OF THESE MODELS THAT BASICALLY TURNED EVERY DAY LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO 7 PROTECT EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY INTO FRONTLINE ICE. AGENTS THAT ARE SEPARATING AND HURTING COMMUNITIES. >> AND IN YOUR WORK WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION, IT. WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN HAPPEN TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MIGRANT DRIVEN? >> AND, YOU KNOW, IT HAS BEEN HAS BEEN REALLY SAD THAT PEOPLE ARE SCARED. PEOPLE ARE. YOU KNOW, RIGHTFULLY RIGHTFULLY SO. RIGHTFULLY TERRIFIED. IN THE LAST WEEK WITH IT, THE BRUTAL KILLING OF LOAD AND SO ON A WHOLE IN TEXAS AND JOHN DO DINE IN MAINE. AND THEN WE SEE A YOUNG MAN HERE IN SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLYNN AND RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE AND THEN GETTING HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK. YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S TOUGH BECAUSE MR. DO DINE IN MAINE WAS COMPLYING. HE WAS THERE. HE LOST HIS LIFE. SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE, WHAT DO I DO IF I STAY, I COULD LOSE MY LIFE. IF I RUN, I COULD LOSE MY LIFE. SO WE'RE SEEING A PATTERN WHERE, YOU KNOW, THESE AGENTS ARE OPERATING COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF FLOOD IS LEGAL AND LAWFUL AND NOBODY IN THE UNITED STATES HAS THE RIGHT TO BE JUDGE JURY AND EXECUTIONER NO MATTER WHAT PAPERWORK THE PERSON HAS OR HASN'T MR. BARROW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION. YOU CAN VISIT ITS WEBSITE AT FLORIDA IMMIGRANT DOT ORG OR YOU CAN ALSO CALL THEIR