An influx of immigrants boosted Orlando's economy but many now fear detention
Luis, 30, who fled Venezuela after being an opposition political activist while at university, poses for a picture Aug. 19, 2025, in the apartment complex where he lives in Orlando, Fla. The aspiring entrepreneur with a degree in mechanical engineering requested asylum in the U.S. and received a work permit which allows him to support himself as an Amazon delivery driver as he goes through the legal asylum process.
Venezuelan asylum seeker Luis, 30, runs through the rain Aug. 19, 2025, as he delivers packages in Winter Park, Fla. Luis, who fled Venezuela after being an opposition political activist as a university student, was granted a long-term work permit that allows him to support himself as an Amazon delivery driver as he goes through the legal asylum process.
Hotels and highways are seen Aug. 22, 2025, around Universal Volcano Bay water park in Orlando, Fla. Migrants who moved to central Florida in recent years say they were drawn by warm temperatures, a large migrant community, and the ease of finding jobs in one of the United States' tourism and hospitality hot spots.
Paola Freites, who asked to be identified by her middle name and second last name to protect her family's safety, poses for a portrait Aug. 21, 2025, inside the two-bedroom mobile home in Apopka, Fla., where she lives with her husband and three children after fleeing persecution in their native Colombia.
Colombian asylum-seeker Paola Freites, 37, who asked to be identified by her middle name and second last name to protect her family's safety, points to scars Aug. 21, 2025, in Apopka, Fla. The scars were left by a brutal gang rape and torture she suffered at age 13, in which her attackers left her for dead after cutting open her abdomen.
Paola Freites, who asked to be identified by her middle name and second last name to protect her family's safety, is reflected Aug. 21, 2025, in a poster of John Wayne, whom her teenaged son is a fan of, inside the two-bedroom mobile home in Apopka, Fla., where she lives with her husband and three children after fleeing persecution in their native Colombia.
Immigrants trying to learn the English language participate in ESOL classes Aug. 19, 2025, offered by Catholic Charities of Central Florida in Orlando.
Patricia Otero writes phrases on the board Aug. 19, 2025, in Orlando as she teaches a Catholic Charities of Central Florida ESOL class to immigrants trying to learn English.
Immigrants trying to learn the English language do a workbook exercise Aug. 19, 2025, in Orlando as they participate in an ESOL class offered by Catholic Charities of Central Florida.
Irrigation sprinklers water rows of flowers and plants Aug. 21, 2025, inside a nursery in Apopka, Fla., where migrants often find work in the agricultural sector.
A worker walks past irrigation sprinklers watering flowers and plants Aug. 21, 2025, in a nursery in Apopka, Fla., where migrants often find work in the agricultural sector.
Dario Romero, right, co-owner of Venezuelan restaurant TeqaBite, greets a customer Aug. 21, 2025, in Kissimmee, Fla. Despite a big increase in the local Venezuelan population in the past several years, Romero says the restaurant recently struggled to fill job openings and business is down. An immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump led to some migrants losing their legal status and work permits, while many others still in legal processes are too fearful to venture out of the house except to go to and from work.
People wait in line Aug. 22, 2025, at a food pantry in Orlando, Fla., that provides assistance to anyone in need, including some migrants who had their legal protections and work permits terminated.
Watermelons are handed out to people waiting in line Aug. 22, 2025, at the food pantry in Orlando, Fla.
A Haitian immigrant braids another woman's hair Aug. 19, 2025, inside an Orlando, Fla., home shared by many members of a Haitian extended family.
Detamisse Janvier, 20, reacts Aug. 22, 2025, in Orlando, Fla., as she talks about the circumstances that led her to flee Haiti and seek asylum in the U.S. Her face still bears a scar from being injured while running desperately to escape an attack by an armed gang on her home in Port-au-Prince.
Blanca, a 38-year-old math teacher from Mexico who crossed the border with her three children in 2024 and applied for asylum, sits at a table Aug. 20, 2025, inside the family's rented two-bedroom duplex in Apopka, Fla.
Blanca washes dishes Aug. 20, 2025, as her three children play in Apopka, Fla.
Two of the young children of Mexican asylum-seeker Blanca hug Aug. 20, 2025, as they play inside the family's rented duplex in Apopka, Fla.
Two of Blanca's young children swing a doll that was given to them by the Catholic church they belong to, as they play Aug. 20, 2025, inside the family's rented duplex in Apopka, Fla.
A theater marquee reads "We Love America" on Aug. 20, 2025, alongside the federal government building that houses the immigration court and the Social Security Administration office in downtown Orlando, Fla.
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