TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A group of Florida business leaders and immigration advocates, including some who came to the U.S. from Cuba as unaccompanied children under “Operation Pedro Pan,” are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to reverse a new rule that targets shelters licensed to house unaccompanied migrant children.
The letter, which was led by the American Business Immigration Coalition, is the latest backlash from pro-immigration advocates and religious leaders who oppose the orders proposed by DeSantis to fight federal immigration policies, including two bills currently being considered by the Legislature.
The emergency rule from September 2021 orders state agencies to stop issuing or renewing licenses for shelters that temporarily house immigrant children while they wait to be placed with a relative or sponsor. The signatories also opposed House Bill 1355 and Senate Bill 1808 that take aim at state contracts with businesses that transport migrants of all ages into Florida.
“As members of the IMPAC Fund, the Florida Chapter of the American Business Immigration Coalition, we urge you to reverse this emergency order which would lead to the unconscionable and immoral result of innocent children being harmed and left without care,” the group said.
One of the shelters potentially affected by the rule is run by Catholic Charities and served as a shelter for Cuban unaccompanied children in the 1960s who came under “Pedro Pan.” Last month, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski wrote a column opposing the emergency rule.
“Cubans, and more recently Venezuelans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and others, are part of a proud legacy of new immigrants building Florida into an economic powerhouse. The success of our immigrant communities was the result of welcoming immigration policies and supportive neighbors,” the letter said. The group also asked for a meeting with DeSantis, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson.
The letter was signed by 42 people, including Mike Fernandez, a Cuban exile and former Republican donor who left the party; Felice Gorordo, CEO of eMerge Americas; and Manny Diaz, former Miami mayor and chair of the Florida Democratic Party.
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