Thomas Kennedy

3 weeks ago | miaminewtimes.com | Thomas Kennedy

Florida has become a hub for the proliferation of 287(g) agreements, partnerships between local law enforcement municipalities and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since 2019, an array of state laws has made Florida an increasingly hostile place for immigrants. Entities ranging from counties like Miami-Dade, cities like Tallahassee, and even universities are signing these agreements that effectively deputize law enforcement officials to serve as immigration agents.

2 months ago | truthout.org | Thomas Kennedy

For almost a decade now, Florida has served as a laboratory for hardline immigration policies that are later exported to other state legislatures across the country. The recent arrest of Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a U.S.-born citizen who was mistakenly detained under an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold in Leon County, shows the threat that these persecutory laws pose for the civil rights of all people, regardless of immigration status. Since 2019, state lawmakers, at Gov.

2 months ago | sun-sentinel.com | Thomas Kennedy

About one month ago, I wrote an article making the argument that bills pushing a stricter E-verify framework in the state, which is a software system used to check the eligibility of workers in the United States, would exacerbate worker shortages. The low labor participation rate is acknowledged by the state’s own Office of Economic and Demographic Research.

Feb 27, 2025 | orlandosentinel.com | Thomas Kennedy

There's a lot of talk in the Florida Legislature right now about cracking down on unauthorized workers in the state. It's not the first time either. In the last few years, multiple iterations of E-Verify, a software system used to check the eligibility of workers in the United States, have been enacted by lawmakers. Why are there multiple iterations of E-Verify?

Feb 19, 2025 | sun-sentinel.com | Thomas Kennedy

The Florida legislative process can feel a bit like “Groundhog Day.” Not only did we just have another special session in the span of a few weeks, in which the increasing frequency that they are being called upon perhaps renders them not so special anymore, but it was a special session to pass yet another anti-immigrant bill.