TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida LULAC urges restraint and a full humanitarian review of immigration actions affecting Venezuelan nationals currently residing in the United States, as conditions in Venezuela remain unstable, fluid, and uncertain.
“Florida’s Venezuelan community is an essential part of our state’s social, economic, and civic fabric,” said Asia Clermont, State Director of Florida LULAC. “In moments of international uncertainty, immigration decisions must be guided by up-to-date country conditions, due process, and humanitarian considerations. Families who have built their lives here should not be subjected to rushed or destabilizing actions. At the same time, facts on the ground continue to evolve.”
Florida is home to a disproportionately large share of the nation’s Venezuelan population. Approximately 49 percent of all Venezuelan immigrants in the United States reside in Florida, with more than 380,000 Floridians identifying as having Venezuelan ancestry, making Venezuelans one of the largest and fastest-growing Latino communities in our state. As a result, immigration policy decisions affecting Venezuelan nationals have immediate and far-reaching consequences for Florida families, communities, and local economies.
Within Florida, significant Venezuelan populations are concentrated in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Orange Counties, where families include workers, students, business owners, and individuals who are lawfully present or actively seeking protection under U.S. law. Venezuelans are a rapidly growing component of Florida’s immigrant community and of the broader U.S. Hispanic diaspora.
“Our priority is to work in a bipartisan manner with leaders in Congress and federal agencies overseeing immigration, asylum, and refugee programs to ensure that Venezuelan nationals in the United States are not returned prematurely to a country still in deep turmoil,” said Clermont. “A moratorium on deportations and a reassessment of pending cases are necessary steps to uphold American values of fairness, compassion, and due process.”
Recent developments, including changes to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and other immigration protections, have intensified fear and uncertainty among Venezuelan families who have lived and worked in the United States for years. Local leaders across Florida have expressed concern that current conditions in Venezuela remain unsafe for return and that abrupt policy shifts risk placing families in harm’s way.
“This moment demands solidarity,” Claremont said. “Florida must lead in supporting families who are living in fear of being uprooted and returned to dangerous, unstable conditions. Our state’s strength is its diversity and compassion, and that’s what we must demonstrate today.”
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About Florida LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens in Florida advances the economic, educational, civic, housing, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Floridians through focused advocacy and community action. Serving one of the nation’s most diverse Latino populations, LULAC Florida tailors its work to local realities, from urban centers to rural communities, by addressing barriers and delivering targeted programs. Through scholarships, housing education, health outreach, and sustained engagement with policymakers, LULAC combines grassroots organizing with strategic advocacy to ensure Hispanic voices shape decisions, protect rights, and strengthen opportunity across Florida