Overview

• Undocumented residents in Central Florida say they are skipping shelters or riding out storms in vulnerable homes because they fear detention during evacuations.
• DHS ended the policy that treated schools, hospitals and emergency sites as protected locations in January, removing a safeguard many families trusted.
• Since that shift, hundreds of local agencies have signed 287(g) agreements enabling collaboration with ICE, especially in Florida and Texas.
• FEMA resources have gone to detention infrastructure and some personnel were reassigned to immigration operations, while July floods in Texas saw state teams with CBP controlling access to affected areas and FEMA recovery centers.
• Local officials are offering translated alerts and ID-flexible shelter access, yet advocates report many eligible residents still avoid applying for aid or replacing lost documents due to fear.