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Latin clothiers flourishing in Florida West Tampa, FL -- Home to a handful of popular Cuban restaurants, Columbus Drive is a Latin food lover's dream. It even affectionately was dubbed Boliche Boulevard by Tampa Tribune columnist Steve Otto. As the restaurants serve marinated pork and black beans and rice, the fashion industry has moved into shopping centers and storefronts, making a splash with mannequins adorned in trendy attire and placed outside to attract passers-by. There are five clothing stores on Columbus between Habana and Himes avenues. The Tampa Tribune (FL)

FL terrorism trial to begin in August Tampa -- Youssef Megahed is expected to have a trial on terrorism charges in immigration court in August, his attorney said this morning. Megahed, 23, was arrested by immigration agents... Patient suing FL hospital over 'deportation' Stuart, FL -- A civil trial pitting the Indiantown guardian of a brain-damaged Guatemalan native against Martin Memorial Medical Center over his 2003 deportation will begin June 23, an attorney... Amnesty activists fret new FL smuggling laws A human smuggling bill that would allow local and state law enforcers to arrest suspects has been unanimously passed by lawmakers. There is no date set for the signing of...

More Florida Immigration News

FL lawmakers seek crackdown on smugglers

Tallahassee -- In an effort to crack down on human-smuggling operations in Florida, lawmakers on Tuesday created a state statute that would outlaw such activities and give local law enforcement arrest powers. Senators on Tuesday unanimously passed a law that...
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FL legislators take aim at smugglers with new bill

For a state that is a hub of human-smuggling operations, up to now Florida has had no state statute outlawing such activities. That is set to change, with the Senate poised to approve a law making human smuggling a first-degree...
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Labor, amnesty activists plan FL rally

Labor and immigrant rights groups across the state are gearing up to rally on May 1, capitalizing on recent promises made by the Obama administration to start to overhaul the country's immigration system. The marches and rallies are aimed at...
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Court revokes FL woman's deportation order

Atlanta (AP) -- A federal appeals court has revoked a deportation order for a woman who pleaded no contest to taking a pair of shoes from a store in Florida, then was presumed by immigration officials to have committed a...
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FL court sentences human smugglers

Tampa, FL -- A federal judge sentenced two men for transporting 17 illegal immigrants in Manatee County, according to a released statement from the Department of Justice Friday. United Stated District Judge Susan Bucklew sentenced 20-year-old Luis Francisco Pineda-Hidaldgo, also...
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FL utility reverses identification rules

Immokalee, FL (AP) -- A southwest Florida utility is reversing a rule that required customers to provide valid U.S. or state-issued identification to access municipal water supplies. As of Monday, immigrants can obtain services from the Immokalee Water and Sewer...
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Mexican man streaks FL street for ticket back home

Port St. Lucie, FL (AP) -- Authorities say a man claiming to be an illegal immigrant ran naked down a Port St. Lucie street so that he would be sent back to Mexico. The Associated Press...
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FL activists fret illegals' access to potable water

Immokalee, FL (AP) -- Advocates for migrant workers in southwest Florida say regulations meant to counter identity theft may be blocking access to water for illegal immigrants. Immokalee Water and Sewer District passed two new rules last year that require...
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FL attorney dubs immigration detentions 'unconstitutional'

A Palm Beach County assistant public defender has accused the Sheriff's Office of violating the U.S. Constitution by detaining undocumented immigrants sometimes for weeks or months. Daniel Cohen is fighting the jailing of immigrants based on a federal agent signing...
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FL bill requires contractors to use E-Verify

Tallahassee -- Businesses with state contracts would be required to use an electronic verification system to ferret out illegal immigrants seeking jobs under a bill moving through the Legislature. House Bill 915, sponsored by Rep. Sandra Adams, R-Oviedo, would require...
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FL foster care group blasted for contacting ICE

Immigrant advocates are calling on Florida child welfare administrators to repudiate the actions of a private Naples foster care agency they say snatched an infant and toddler from their mother and grandparents -- and then turned the family in to...
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Man sentenced to ten years for role in FL smuggling ring

Luis Perez, 30, of Loxahatchee, was sentenced Friday in West Palm Beach by U.S. District Judge Daniel T. Hurley, marking the first verdict delivered in a case that involved the 2007 death of an immigrant. Perez pleaded guilty to organizing...
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FL foundation grant offers aid to farm workers

Florida growers are giving back to their farmworkers to help ensure they receive child care, education and health-care support that has been out of reach. The Farmworker Community Support Foundation, based out of Maitland in Central Florida, has launched as...
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FL charity aids integration of immigrants

Robert Selle says he's knows what it's like to be a foreigner. Selle spent 14 years as a Christian missionary in Venezuela. When he first got there, he felt vulnerable. He wasn't proficient in Spanish. And he was unfamiliar with...
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Florida business accused of marriage, immigration fraud

A Winter Garden company is accused of arranging phony marriages for U.S citizenship and big bucks. What looked like a typical business out front on West Colonial Drive allegedly had a fake chapel and reception room in the back to...
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