WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new immigration law this week, many undocumented migrants in Florida are now contacting attorneys for advice.
WPTV spoke with a man from Honduras on Friday. He and his family, who do not want their names revealed, were at an immigration attorney's office. It was their first step in their fight to stay in the U.S.
The migrants said they left their homeland because it had simply become too dangerous.
"Well, the reason I came to the United States is my country got too many problems with the gang people, fighting," the man said. "The people kill other people for no reason."
The family is now waiting for their case to go through the courts.
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"They are not what you would consider documented yet," attorney Jan Peter Weiss said. "If they win their case, then they qualify in a year for residency."
Weiss is representing them in their attempt to seek asylum.
"They're here fighting for their lives in immigration proceedings," Weiss said.
Now that Title 42 has ended, migrants would have to seek asylum in another country before applying in the U.S.
While that federal restriction is fought in court, Weiss said it's Florida's immigration laws that have his attention.
"Do they have to pick up where they've been living for over 10 years, undocumented, without any status and go to another state after forming a life in Florida?" Weiss asked. "And being good 'non-citizens,' that's what I find more disconcerting than what's going on with the border."
DeSantis has made immigration reform a priority with the passage of recent bills in Tallahassee, saying the White House has failed at securing America's borders.
"Where is this president's energy?" DeSantis said during the bill signing ceremony in Jackson on Wednesday. "Where is his vigor? Where is his commitment to the cause? He's just sitting around doing nothing…"
Weiss' client said living in the U.S. means giving his family a new chance in life.
"I feel so happy to be in this country, here in Florida," the man from Honduras said. "It's a good place to live."
