During our time traveling through
Southwest Florida, where ICE has been active and fear surrounding immigration enforcement has deeply affected Hispanic communities, Jose Mejia had the opportunity to speak with immigrant families living through that uncertainty firsthand.
I met a woman in her 20s who spoke with me and my colleague, Dave Decker (@watson33569) about her experience as a DACA recipient. She was brought to the United States from Mexico when she was just 2 years old and has spent her entire life here. She is now the mother of two young children, both U.S. citizens.
Speaking through tears, she told us:
"I don't know where to go if they take me because l've never lived anywhere but here, and my children have their lives here now."
Before we parted, she left us with a request: "Please share and use your voice to amplify people who cannot."
This is one of the stories I encountered while documenting the human impact of immigration enforcement in Southwest Florida—a story about fear, family, and the uncertainty of being separated from the only home she has ever known.
