“Tough conversations:” Central Florida families share fears of mass deportation

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APOPKA, Fla. — As the Trump transition team continues to hone in on possible plans for a mass deportation program, thousands of mixed citizenship Central Florida Families are having tough conversations about what this could mean for them.

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According to the Center for American Progress, more than 900,000 Floridians have at least one family member who is undocumented.

Channel 9 spoke with a 24-year-old Central Floridian whose parents immigrated from Mexico more than 20 years ago.

While the 24-year-old is a U.S. Citizen, he says his mixed status family is now feeling heightened anxiety.

On the campaign trail, President-Elect Trump promised to fulfill the largest mass deportation program in American history.

This week the President-Elect tapped Tom Homan to carry out the program as “Border Czar.”

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Homan served as the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during President-Elect Trump’s first term in office.

In that role, he led the “zero tolerance” policy that separated parents from their children at the border.

President-Elect Trump also announced immigration hardliner Stephen Miller will serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, all signaling a focus on immigration that’s worrying some families.

“I want to be positive think that nothing’s going to happen to my family but obviously we always have to think about worst-case scenario,” said the 24-year-old whom Channel 9 is only identifying by his first name Siquem.

During a meeting at the Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka on Wednesday, some mixed-citizenship status families met for a community gathering focused on mental health and support.

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The Executive Director said the center will be doubling down on education and “know your rights” sessions teaching the community about their protections in the case of ICE raids or police interactions.

“We need to make sure that every single person is prepared. They have a plan and that they’re equipped and in power by knowing what the rights are,” said Hope CommUnity Center Executive Director Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet.

Lazaballet said more than 20 percent of Orange County’s population was born outside the U.S. thus, deportation policies could have far-reaching local impacts.

“People are having really hard conversations with their family. Could this be the last Christmas that they spent with their mom, with their dad?” said Sousa-Lazaballet.

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