Juan Carlos Chavez

Aerial view of structures, including gigantic tents built at the recently opened migrant detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on Friday July 4, 2025. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS)

Alligator Alcatraz to Panhandle Pokey: Sizing up Florida’s detention centers

December 24, 2025 at 9:08 a.m.

Florida has two state-run sites, with another planned, and five run by federal agencies or contractors. Combined, they have space for more than 10,000 people. Some sites have empty beds, others...

According to a new University of South Florida study, the impact of Florida’s tougher immigration policies extends beyond those who lack legal status. Across all groups, they shared a climate of fear, distrust, and constant vigilance. (uan Carlos Chavez/Tampa Bay Times)

Florida’s new immigration policies are upending lives, USF study finds

December 15, 2025 at 6:08 a.m.

Immigration policies in Florida and under President Donald Trump’s administration have not only upended the lives of unauthorized immigrants, but have also deeply affected those with legal status, according to a new study by...

Yordanka Rumayor is one of dozens of victims of alleged immigration fraud by Dayana Barreto García in Tampa. Holding copies of documents that Garcia sent to her, Rumayor said she paid thousands of dollars. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times)

Tampa woman posed as immigration lawyer, clients say, leaving dozens in limbo

October 18, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

Cuban immigrants across Florida say a Tampa woman posed as an immigration attorney, then took tens of thousands of dollars in fees without filing cases.

Alexa Figueroa and her daughter stand outside immigration court in Orlando, Florida. Figueroa said the judge recommended she find an immigration attorney. (Katelyn Ferral/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

As deportations rise, fees for immigration lawyers are going up

September 8, 2025 at 3:53 p.m.

As detentions spike amid a historic immigration crackdown, so has the price of legal remedies for those facing deportation.

Parishioners wave the flag of Haiti while they sing to a sermon at New Jerusalem Haitian Baptist Church on July 13, 2025, in Tampa. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

Facing danger abroad, Florida’s Haitians caught in immigration crossfire

August 7, 2025 at 11:55 a.m.

The fight for legal protection has become an ongoing struggle, particularly for Haitians in Florida, amid an exhausting cycle of changing policies.

Liyanara Sanchez holds a recent photo of her husband, Frengel Reyes Mota, at their apartment in Tampa, Florida. (Juan Carlos Chavez/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

She saw her deported husband in a video. It’s her only proof he’s alive.

May 21, 2025 at 2:26 p.m.

After two months, families of Venezuelans deported to El Salvador are still waiting for answers.

Yusel Quezada and Néstor Castillo talk about popular tattoos and the work they do every day at their shop in Tampa. They believe authorities shouldn't strictly follow a tattoo guide to link someone to a criminal gang. (Juan Carlos Chavez / Tampa Bay Times / TNS)

Immigration officials link tattoos to gangs. Artists say that’s wrong.

April 29, 2025 at 2:12 p.m.

Body art that people may have picked for style is being cited in deportation cases.

Haitian refugee Jim Joseph plays on a sofa while watching television as his father, Biko Joseph, background, keeps in touch with family and friends in Haiti using the WhatsApp Messenger at the apartment where they were living in Tampa. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

After Trump ends protections, Haitians in Florida brace for what’s next

February 26, 2025 at 1:16 p.m.

The White House ended temporary protections for immigrants despite worsening conditions in Haiti.

A field worker tends to a field of strawberries at Sanchez Farms on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Plant City. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

Here’s what immigration crackdowns mean for Florida’s workforce

February 20, 2025 at 10:01 a.m.

With President Donald Trump’s administration promising mass deportations and zero-tolerance immigration policies, some employers fear an even greater labor shortage is on the horizon.

Virginia Tenchipe, 49, of Dover, cleans the entryway to a home on Dec. 5, 2024, in Tampa. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

‘Filled with great uncertainty,’ Florida’s immigrants face new fears

January 24, 2025 at 3:01 p.m.

In the days before and after President Donald Trump’s inauguration for a second term, unauthorized immigrants and their families in Florida are facing a sense of dread about what’s to...

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