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Voices from Central Florida’s Immigrant Communities Living in Turmoil, Rollins College Free Childcare for Adult Learners

President-elect Donald Trump has promised large-scale deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
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AP

Federal immigration policy is shifting at a breakneck pace under the Trump Administration, and the threat of mass deportations has Central Floridians gravely concerned. Hear from advocates for immigrant communities throughout our region including an Orlando family who fled Venezuela to escape life threatening conditions now facing the reality of being sent back and a DACA student who fears for her academic future. We meet a single mother who is pursuing her collegiate dreams with the help of a childcare program at Rollins College that makes that path much more accessible.

Voices from Central Florida’s Immigrant Communities Living in Turmoil

Members of the nation’s undocumented immigrant population are on edge as the Trump Administration advances with promised ICE raids and sweeping deportation orders. As a candidate, Trump promised the targeting of migrants with criminal records, but children and families are equally concerned as restrictions on raids in schools and churches have been lifted. The shield of temporary protected status for Venezuelans living in America is scheduled to end, giving undocumented Venezuelans with TPS protection 60 days until they lose the right to work in the U.S. On a state level, Republican lawmakers created an immigration agenda more in line with what is happening federally. Laudi Campo, Florida State Director of the Hispanic Federation based in Orange County, joins Engage to discuss how the nonprofit membership organization is working to advance and support Latino communities and institutions.

In 2017, Orlando resident Cecilia González Herrera and her family fled Venezuela for a better life amid the political chaos of the Maduro regime. They were asylum seekers and eventually were granted TPS due to the dangers of living in Venezuela. The Trump administration is ending that designation this week leaving Venezuelans two months until they lose their right to work in America and face deportation. With that announcement, Cecilia González Herrera’s future in Orlando is uncertain. She joins Engage to discuss the refuge she found in Central Florida and the conversations she’s having with her family now.

Florida lawmakers passed legislation introduced during last week’s special session that would ban in-state tuition for undocumented students. Governor Ron DeSantis has vowed to veto it, criticizing it as too weak on immigration reform. A day after the Governor called for that special session, Republican State Senator Randy Fine filed a bill that would block some public colleges and universities from admitting immigrants in the country without legal permission. Undocumented students are ineligible for most types of financial aid for college, and many rely on waivers for in-state tuition. UCF senior Saray is an undocumented student. She asked us not to use her last name, fearing deportation, but joins Engage to share her story.

Rollins College Free Childcare for Adult Learners

Single mother Shannae Greene thought she might find a career in the U.S. Air Force, but the schedule that came along with it put her in a situation where reliable childcare simply wasn’t an option. She needed a new path forward to create a sustainable future for herself and her daughter. She enrolled at Rollins College, deciding that investing in higher education was the way to increase her earning potential and improve her family’s quality of life. Adult learners also experience that barrier of childcare in completing their degrees. Starting Fall 2025, Rollins will offer free childcare to support student-parents enrolled in their adult evening program at the Hamilton Holt School. Lauren Smith, Dean of the Hamilton Holt School of Professional Advancement and Graduate Studies at Rollins, joins Engage along with Greene to discuss what makes this evening Educare program different.

Cheryn joined WMFE after several years as a weekend news anchor at Spectrum News 13 in Orlando.