On the day Gov. Ron DeSantis’ aggressive new immigration law came into force, one of South Florida’s vulnerable expatriate communities gathered to celebrate its culture — and let joy take over from fear.
Historically, many Guatemalan immigrants have settled in Lake Worth Beach, in Palm Beach County, after escaping violence and political instability in their home country.
But SB1718, Florida's new law targeting undocumented immigrants, sent shock waves across various communities in South Florida. For Guatemalans — particularly indigenous Mayans who may not speak English nor Spanish — it's a daunting situation that's forcing many to consider having to flee once again.
The Guatemalan-Maya Center has taken the lead in trying to make life manageable for those who decide to stay, a task so big they recently had to move to a larger facility. And on Saturday, its leaders used the grand opening of the new location to bring the community together in joy and solidarity.
READ MORE: New law is pushing South Florida's indigenous Guatemalan immigrants to flee - again
“I don’t think they get to do that as much outside of these walls because of the constant struggle of trying to survive, and [dealing with] discrimination and ... the legislation,” said Danna Torres, the center's clinic director. "So, that’s why we did it today. We’re here together and so we’re going to stand strong together.”
But she said the mood felt like an odd mix of cultural celebration and community anxiety, as families are mulling over how to respond to the changes. “We get to see our community in a space where they feel protected. Where they feel that they can relax and they can take a breath," she added.
At the celebration outside the center, there was a little bit of everything for the children of immigrant families as traditional marimba music set the tone. At the arts and crafts table, young kids made bracelets with earth tone colors matching their trajes, traditional embroidered dresses often worn by indigenous groups in Central America.
They kicked soccer balls through a bright mini goal that was the size of a tiny basket. On the other side of the play area, crossover moves and jump-shots surround a 10ft basketball hoop. And across from make-shift family services booths, you could see vanilla ice-cream melt across small arms, while volunteers also passed around grilled hot dogs.
"We understand the diversity and we think that makes us a better community by having this great tapestry of different cultures, different people coming together. And we stand united.”Palm Beach County Mayor Greg Weiss
Nearly 100 people — Guatemalan individuals and families, students, supporters, volunteers — watched community leaders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony share their message about American freedom and resilience.
The new Guatemalan-Maya Center is located on 1776 Lake Worth Rd. Palm Beach County Mayor Greg Weiss, the son of Jewish immigrants, said that — coming just a few days before July 4th — the irony wasn’t lost on him.
“We’re a welcoming community," he told WLRN. "We understand the diversity and we think that makes us a better community by having this great tapestry of different cultures, different people coming together. And we stand united.”
Immigrants make up more than a quarter of Palm Beach County's population, according to the latest Census numbers.
Broad new law raise questions
SB 1718 strengthens requirements for employers to e-verify workers’ immigration status, invalidates out-of-state ID cards like driver’s licenses, and requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask each patient about their immigration status and report the data to the state — a question patients can decline. It is now also illegal to transport an undocumented person across state lines into the state.
Weiss said the broad law has raised questions about how it would be enforced, especially for families referred to as mixed status. That means some people in a house may have some or all of their documents, while others may not.
“There’s a lot of consternation and fear over the meaning of this law in terms of people driving together. And potentially is somebody going to get arrested for driving with someone who’s not documented,” Weiss said.
“There’s unfortunately a lot of misinformation and disinformation. However, we want to make sure that people know their rights and understand what they’re legally entitled to say or do.”
Gov. DeSantis has said the law aims to stop undocumented immigrants from using social services and other government benefits, and that it ensures "Florida taxpayers are not footing the bill for illegal immigration."
The Republican governor has made curbing illegal immigration a prominent part of his presidential campaign platform. Recently he promised to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, a change that would require a US constitutional amendment.
Republican Representative Rick Roth, whose district includes parts of Palm Beach County and who is in favor of SB1718 law, has been trying to convince immigrants to stay, saying the law is more about intimidation than actual policy enforcement.
A center critical to the community
Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Reinaldo Diaz, a son of Argentinian and Salvadoran immigrants, told WLRN at the ribbon-cutting that he’s in the process of creating a city forum so foreign language speakers can learn the details about local and state legislation that affects them. He’s getting the word out through the Guatemalan-Maya Center.
“The center is so critical to our community — they already have the network to get people to show up to these meetings,” Diaz said. “This is a building where they provide services but then there’s the stuff that isn’t so visible and it's that community, that connection that they built that’s so invaluable.”
At the center, outreach community workers help more than a 1,000 individuals and families a month with early childhood education, medical care, and other assistance. And Torres, the center's clinic director, says those numbers are still rising.
But she also wants local and county leaders to know there are other issues affecting immigrants beyond what's in the new state law — like poverty and unaffordable housing.
“For us, there are so many opportunities for them to show up when our families are in need — in addressing some of the issues that have been here way before SB1718,” Torres said. “So it’s really nice to see us building relationships with them and we’re hoping that this is not the last that we’re going to see of them.”
