- December 9, 2025
Dear Editor:
It is not a crime for an immigrant without permanent legal status to live in the United States, unless such person has been previously deported.
We have seen a dramatic rise in Florida’s number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of people who have no convictions or criminal charges. ICE raids have sparked fear in Florida towns and immigrant communities, arresting individuals with no warrant, criminal record, or evidence of gang membership.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature were quick to comply with executive orders and rules which have thrown immigrants into the deportation process. "Operation Tidal Wave" resulted in 780 Florida arrests between April 21 and April 26.
Detentions surged in Florida while deportations have not, resulting in overcrowded detention centers and inhuman conditions. Six immigrants have died in Florida custody this year. In 2023, ICE detention centers held over 36,000 adults at a daily cost of $6.9 million taxpayer dollars.
Family separations continue. Immigrant children born in the United States with full citizenship have been placed in federal detention centers and confined for months. Six-hundred children are presently in custody. Spouses of U.S. citizens have been arrested and held for deportation.
Florida immigrant families live in fear, afraid to drive to work, go to the hospital, or take their children to school. Latino communities have canceled events, and businesses have closed.
Communities have lost trust in local law enforcement agencies. Immigrants are afraid to go to the police if they are victims of, or witnesses to, crimes. The Florida Attorney General has warned cities that “sanctuary policies are not tolerated in Florida.”
The ICE raids have major economic consequences for Florida’s agriculture, fern, and construction industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. Local cities have maintenance contracts with companies that employ immigrants, hard workers, not criminals. There is documented evidence of ICE arrests of U.S. citizens and others who have legal immigrant status.
Except for indigenous natives, we are a nation of immigrants from all parts of the world. All people living in the United States, regardless of legal status, have a right to due process and fair and speedy hearings. Our brave military fought and died for these rights.
There is no justice for people who have peacefully lived and worked in our communities for years but now face new rules and enforcements that call for their arrest and deportation.
We need to demand legislation that provides a sensible path to legal immigrant status and stop terrorizing immigrants.
Linda Kaladjian
Rebecca Cashette
Jeff Boyle
Vivian Lord
Members of the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ormond Beach
Dear Editor:
For too long, Florida’s Atlantic fishermen have been subject to arbitrary federal limits that make little sense for the realities of our waters or the livelihoods of our coastal communities. That is why Gov. Ron DeSantis’s announcement to seek full state management of the Atlantic red snapper fishery is not just welcome news; it is long overdue.
Florida has already proven that state-level management works. Since taking control of Gulf red snapper seasons in 2018, our state expanded fishing days from a mere three under federal control to 127 days in 2025, all while maintaining healthy fish stocks and rigorous conservation standards. Florida’s success did not come at the expense of sustainability; it came through data-driven management, strong local partnerships, and a deep respect for both the resource and the people who depend on it.
By contrast, the federal system has failed to reflect those same values. For years, Washington bureaucrats have imposed one-size-fits-all rules that reduced Atlantic red snapper seasons to one or two days a year. Families who invest thousands in boats, fuel, and gear were given a single weekend, if that, to enjoy the very waters that define our coastal identity. That is not sound management; that is suffocating overregulation.
Gov. DeSantis’s proposal, backed by coordination with Georgia and South Carolina, would finally restore balance to our federalist system by returning management authority to the states that know their waters best. His administration’s exempted fishing permit application to the U.S. Department of Commerce is a sensible step toward that goal. It allows Florida to set its own 39-day Atlantic red snapper season, with 30 days in the summer and three weekends in the fall, starting in 2026. That is a common-sense plan that supports conservation and strengthens our economy.
The benefits will ripple far beyond the docks. Extending the season means more business for tackle shops, marinas, hotels, and local restaurants that thrive on tourism and weekend anglers. It means more work for charter captains and deckhands. And it means that coastal families from Ormond Beach to New Smyrna to the Keys can once again enjoy the traditions that built our state’s proud reputation as the Fishing Capital of the World.
The governor’s leadership reminds us that conservation and commerce do not have to be enemies. When decision-making happens closer to home, with local knowledge and accountability, we get better results. Federal agencies should take note: Florida does not need Washington to micromanage our reefs and wrecks. We have the science, the expertise, and the will to manage our resources responsibly.
It is time to trust the people who live here. By restoring fishery management to the states, we are not just protecting red snapper; we are protecting our way of life.
Duncan S. DeMarsh
DeLand
Vice chairman of the Volusia County Republican Party
