Central Florida Immigration Concerns
This week Congressman Maxwell Frost and local immigration advocates condemned a possible new ICE facility in the region. Representative Frost confirmed that ICE officials were in east Orange County touring a warehouse as a potential site for a new processing detention center. He was joined by leaders from Hope CommUnity Center who say there is increased ICE activity in Central Florida and a dramatic rise in the number of people being put on ICE holds at the Orange County Jail.
As fear and uncertainty grows, members of the Central Florida community are uniting to support immigrant families. Dozens of people gathered outside Orlando City Hall on Sunday to pray for immigrants. Organizers join Engage to discuss the prayer vigils being held twice a month.
Views on stepped- up immigration reform vary. George Jackow, the former chair of the Osceola County Republican Party, supports ICE’s role in immigration enforcement that he says is targeting criminals.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says about 140 people are being held in the county jail on ICE detainers with accompanying criminal charges. He said his department isn’t doing anything different than what they did in previous administrations and what has changed is that the federal government added hundreds of thousands of deportation warrants or detainers to a national law enforcement database that local agencies use during traffic stops and arrets. That addition means deputies are more likely to know that someone is flagged by ICE. Sheriff Judd joins Engage to talk about how their cooperation works.
The Gathering's Reverend Gabriel Salguero traveled from Orlando to Minneapolis to meet with evangelical leaders Thursday and respond to what he describes as indiscriminate immigration enforcement. He joins Engage to call for nonviolent peaceful protest and the humane treatment of immigrants, while also supporting the detention and deportation of violent criminals.
Artemis II Moon Mission Milestones
Before anyone heads back to the Moon, NASA has to pass critical tests on the ground on our Space Coast. The Artemis II mission took an important step this week. NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion capsule made the slow trek to its launch pad at less than a mile an hour. The journey took more than 12 hours. The spacecraft is docked at Launch Pad 39B where teams are getting ready for a dress rehearsal for a crewed launch to send people back to the Moon for the first time since 1972.
Joining us to break down what this moment means is Brendan Byrne, Central Florida Public Media Assistant News Director and host of the podcast “Are We There Yet?” that explores the space industry.
Orlando Performer Shines on RuPaul’s Drag Race
Seventeen years ago, a show debuted on Logo TV that changed the way America looked at drag queens. RuPaul’s Drag Race took the art of drag out of gay bars and burlesques and into living rooms across the country. The show is currently in its eighteenth season, airing on MTV.
Beyond the glamor and drama the show is revered for, Drag Race presented a world where creativity and individuality were encouraged. For many young gay men, the show provided validity. For Orlando native Michael Reichert, RuPaul’s Drag Race was a ticket out of the closet.
Today, Reichert is better known by his stage name, Myki Meeks, an almost over-the-top drag queen who describes herself as “stupidly glamorous and glamorously stupid.” Beneath the wigs and makeup is a trained actor with experience on the Shakespearean stage. Myki Meeks joins Engage to talk about growing up queer in Orlando and being on this season of Drag Race.
