Distracted...disturbed?

"FORT MYERS, Fla. — Manuel Vasquez says he remembers when people started to leave. When one by one, people in this community started vanishing."

~ Jasmine Garsd

"Anguish and fear in Florida amidst a rising anti-immigrant sentiment"

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1236631178/florida-immigration-desantis-sb1718-fear

"Vasquez, who is originally from Mexico, sees the anti-immigrant sentiment as anti-Latino. He's been in the U.S. for around 20 years and says he's seen it evolve: he feels it's become almost obligatory for presidential hopefuls to target Hispanics.

Misinformation about the border and immigration has indeed become a centerpiece in this election year. Immigrants being presented as a threat by politicians at all levels makes for dramatic headlines almost every day.

On a local level, states like Texas and Florida have been butting heads with the Federal government, accusing the Biden administration of inaction, saying they have no choice but to pass their own immigration legislation.

A spokesperson for Florida Governor DeSantis told NPR that the governor signed the law 'to protect Floridians.'

But at a local farmer's market, Ana Maria Perez, a fruit saleswoman, says she's cautious about driving around, even though she's a permanent resident. 'If you have dark skin,' Perez says, 'the police here stop you for any reason.'

Perez says she has a son in college, here in Florida. But when he graduates, in a year, she and her husband want to go north.

Not everyone in Fort Myers is anti-immigrant, she clarifies. But she says the racism has intensified here. 'I feel like.... something has been awakened,' she says. 'A monster that was asleep.'"

~ Jasmine Garsd

"Anguish and fear in Florida amidst a rising anti-immigrant sentiment"

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1236631178/florida-immigration-desantis-sb1718-fear