No Music in Spanish, No Work Uniforms: Florida Immigrants Change Daily Habits Under New Traffic Enforcement Law

Many immigrants in Florida are altering their daily routines in response to a new state policy allowing highway patrol officers to detain individuals based on their immigration status during traffic stops.

The measure, part of an agreement signed earlier this year between Florida and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has created a climate of caution and fear in immigrant communities across the state.

Outside a church near Tampa, immigrant families now wait for rides rather than risk driving themselves, NPR reported, and even those with legal status are taking precautions. Ashley Ambrocio, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen who gives rides to fellow parishioners, outlined the unwritten rules now followed to avoid attention from law enforcement: remove Spanish-language stickers or flags from cars, avoid playing music in Spanish, and travel only with those who are legally present in the country.

"Turn the radio to English music, maybe country," Ambrocio told NPR. "So they can't tell it's a Spanish car."

Ambrocio's father, a pastor, was deported to Guatemala after living in the U.S. for 30 years. He had no criminal record. She and others say nearly everyone in their community knows someone who has recently been stopped by Florida Highway Patrol and is now going through deportation proceedings.

Maria, another congregant who rejected giving her last name due to safety concerns, said that white cargo vans—common work vehicles—are being targeted. She also advises workers not to wear work uniforms in their cars. Despite these efforts, she says fear is keeping workers home. One of her construction sites had 30 no-shows in a single day.

The enforcement shift follows a memorandum of understanding signed by Governor Ron DeSantis and ICE in January, granting Florida troopers a more active role in immigration enforcement. A memo later obtained by The Miami Herald in April instructed troopers to arrest individuals for minor infractions such as driving without a valid license and to alert county jails if the person is wanted by ICE.

Legal experts have raised constitutional concerns. "Prolonging a traffic stop without reasonable suspicion of a crime is a violation of the 4th Amendment," said Alana Greer of the Community Justice Project to the outlet back in April.

Meanwhile, the impact extends beyond Florida. One Colombian immigrant, legally paroled into the U.S., told NPR he now avoids flying due to fear of detention and instead takes a 22-hour Amtrak ride from New York to Florida. "I feel more comfortable on the train," he said.