Tampa community stands with DACA recipients

Tampa, FL – On Saturday, November 29, Tampa community members rallied in solidarity with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients impacted by a Texas ruling. They also rallied against the Trump agenda.

Protesters stood on the street corner and loudly chanted, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state!” and “Trump escucha! Estamos en la lucha!” Many passersby and drivers shouted support and honked. People held signs in English and Spanish that read, “Stop the deportations,” “Legalization for all” and “Uphold DACA.”

The Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee (TampaIRC) rallied in response to the filing in Texas of the final set of briefs regarding a ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court. This case claims that it is illegal for the federal government to issue work permits to DACA recipients. Earlier this year, the case was brought down to U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, who will decide how to apply the ruling in Texas only. The briefs were filed on Monday, November 24, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

“DACA, although a great first step, is not enough,” said Erain Boxtha, a member of the TampaIRC, adding, “We need a permanent solution. We need a solution that will disallow ICE, CPB and DHS from roaming our communities, from tearing apart our families. What we need is a pathway for legalization for all.”

“The Trump administration wants us afraid. They want us divided. But we are not afraid, and we damn sure are not divided,” said Ryan Freymuller of Tampa Bay SDS.

Joseph Nohava, a member of TampaIRC, talked about the complicity of local officials in the Trump agenda, “Tampa’s Mayor Jane Castor and Police Chief Bercaw have decided to sign on [to the 287(g) agreement] and would rather that we not talk about that. But we’re going to talk about that.”

287(g) agreements allow state and local police departments to carry out the functions of ICE officers. Tampa Police Department recently received $430,000 to train officers in immigration enforcement tactics. As of June 2025, Florida leads the country in the number of state and local agencies that have signed onto this agreement.

Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (Tampa Bay SDS), El Pueblo Unido Tampa Bay, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the Center for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) all had speakers.

The rally was endorsed by 15 local and state organizations including: Progressive People’s Action, Progressive Jewish Coalition of the Tampa Bay Area, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Wildcat Students for a Democratic Society (Wharton High School), Elevate Through Respect, American Indian Movement Florida, Malaya Florida, Palestine Pals of Tampa Bay, Florida for Change, American Muslims for Palestine Florida, Venceremos Brigade Florida, and New Era Young Lords Florida.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #TampaIRC