Handling Deportations in Central Florida
When 1,120 people were arrested in Florida, accused of being in the United States illegally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was the largest number in a single state in one week in ICE’s history. Governor Ron DeSantis said the first of its kind partnership between federal and state law enforcement was just the beginning of enforcement efforts. Operation Tidal Wave, as it was called, took place at the end of April. Since then, there have been many smaller crackdowns across Central Florida. ICE described the 1,120 as, “criminal illegal alien arrest.” According to the agency, more than 60% had existing criminal arrests or convictions, and hundreds may be removed from the country immediately.
Advocates for immigrant rights question claims that the deportations target violent criminals in the country illegally. As Organizing Director at Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka, Ericka Gómez-Tejeda, works on community outreach efforts and coordinates the Immigrants Are Welcome Here Coalition. She is from Colombia and an immigrant herself. Jose Luis Marantes is also part of that grassroots leadership at Hope CommUnity Center as the Chief Impact Officer. He’s a Cuban-American born in Florida also working toward immigrant empowerment. Marantes and Gómez-Tejeda join Engage to discuss deportations in Central Florida and how they’re impacting family members left behind.
Engage also spoke with Maria Elena Valdivia. She is a former farmworker who cut ferns in Volusia County. She fled violence in Mexico in 1994. Her brother living in DeLand told her to come to the U.S. after Valdivia’s husband was shot and killed while working on a construction site. Valdivia was suddenly a young single mother of two and working as a fern cutter allowed her the flexibility to take care of her children. She was the first woman to become the local coordinator for the Farmworkers Association in Pierson. In time, she transitioned from working side-by-side with the fern cutters to being an advocate for them. She started the Migrants and Minorities Alliance to stand up for the rights of farmworkers. Valdivia talks about her experiences with the raids and deportations happening in Central Florida.
We want to share the impactful stories of how immigration policies and enforcement are being felt in Central Florida. Send an email to Engage@cfpublic.org or send a talkback on the Central Florida Public Media app.
Creating the Soundscape at Epic Universe
Universal Orlando’s newest and biggest theme park, Epic Universe, is now open in Central Florida. This is Universal Orlando’s first major theme park to open since Islands of Adventure in 1999. Tharin White worked for Disney, SeaWorld, and Attractions Magazine. Now he operates his own company EYNTK which stands for 'Everything You Need To Know.' White was there when Epic Universe debuted to the public one week ago. He joins Engage to talk about the new addition to the Central Florida theme park landscape.
The five worlds at Epic Universe are Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. Lee Riley is a Sound Designer for Super Nintendo World and Full Sail University Course Director in Audio Production. Riley joins Engage to talk about his role in enhancing the visitor’s experience with sounds he created.
Where Central Florida Plays Pinball
Pinball machines used to be a feature of the American landscape, found in every pizza parlor, laundromat, bar and 7-11 across the country. Today they’re more like a piece of American archeology, a relic to be hunted like treasure by dedicated pinball enthusiasts. Engage Producer Richard Copeland found a trove of pinball gold and travels to the Pinball Lounge in the Oviedo Bowling Center.
