City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins issued a warning regarding the impact of federal immigration enforcement and the looming expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of South Floridians.
Speaking as part of a bipartisan panel of mayors on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on CBS News Sunday, Higgins described a climate of “fear and terror” gripping her city. Sunday’s panel included Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Mayor Mark Freeman of Mesa, Arizona, reflecting a spectrum of city leaders who are grappling with the national immigration debate.
She specifically highlighted a “lack of humanity” in current enforcement tactics and warned that local health care systems are on the brink of a crisis.
A community in hiding
While responding to Brennan’s questions regarding the 7% of Florida’s population that is undocumented, Higgins acknowledged that while the city currently complies with state-mandated cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), she is limiting that involvement to the bare minimum…