President Joe Biden’s executive order protecting undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens sparked condemnations from Republicans and praise from Democrats in Florida and around the country.

“Biden’s mass amnesty plan will undoubtedly lead to a greater surge in migrant crime, cost taxpayers millions of dollars they cannot afford, overwhelm public services, and steal Social Security and Medicare benefits from American seniors to fund benefits for illegals — draining the programs Americans paid into their entire working lives,” Donald Trump said in a written statement.

“It’s wrong,” added Florida GOP U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, according to Reuters. “We like immigration. But it ought to be legal immigration. These are people who came here illegally, so they should not have a path to citizenship. There should be no amnesty.”

Meanwhile, Central Florida Democratic Congressman Darren Soto applauded the move.

“Thanks @POTUS Biden for your efforts to expand legal protections for immigrant spouses and kids of U.S. citizens and college educated Dreamers,” Soto wrote on X. “This will help preserve many Central Florida families and boost our local economy.”

Orlando House Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani also is supportive.

“Two of Florida’s largest economies are tourism and agriculture, both rely heavily on immigrant workers. If we do not pass common-sense policies, like work permits for folks who are already tax paying individuals, we are hurting our economy and our communities,” said Eskamani.

The announcement came days just after the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy announced in 2012 by then President Barack Obama that shielded “Dreamers” — undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children and have lived and attend school in America — from deportation. Former President Donald Trump attempted to kill DACA when he was president, but it survived a court challenge — although its future remains uncertain as the case continues to move through the federal courts.

In addition to shielding the undocumented spouses of individuals married to U.S. citizens if they have been in the country for at least 10 years, the order will allow Dreamers who have earned a degree at a U.S. university and have received an offer of employment to more quickly receive work visas instead of temporary work authorizations, as is now the case.

Gamechanger

With the status of DACA uncertain, particularly if Trump is re-elected this fall, the move could be a gamechanger for Dreamers.

“The main thing that affects me would be that process of going through an employment visa,” said Orlando resident Ahtziry Barrera, 26, a native of Hidalgo, Mexico, who came with her mother to the United States at age 4 and became a DACA recipient a year after the program was created.

“I have been offered jobs where I cannot take them because I’m not a resident,” she told the Phoenix this week. “Nor am I a U.S. citizen, and unfortunately because of that there is no pathway to that. One of the few pathways would be getting an employment visa and we’re waiting for more details, but you still have to go through the same lottery process and the same sponsorship from your employer.”

As Barrera notes, details of who might qualify under the new program have not been laid out. Work visas could be limited in number and apportioned according to job categories.

Approximately 530,000 individuals are on DACA right now, 21,000 of them in Florida. They must reapply every two years for deportation protection and work permits, with the filing fee recently increased by $60 to $555.

But there have been reports of lengthy processing delays, and Barrera is well aware of that.

“I submitted my application already in April and I’m still waiting,” she said. “I’ve seen some people get it within two weeks, others right to the month that you are waiting to receive it. And again, you are compromising, because if you don’t get it with your employer, you risk being fired because you can’t work without authorization.”

Biden’s announcement drew plaudits from Democrats and immigrant rights groups, a far cry from the reaction  after the president implemented executive actions to bar migrants who cross the Southern border from receiving asylum when the number of border encounters between ports of entry hit 2,500 per day. That move came after U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported that they have encountered more than 8 million people crossing the southwest border since 2021.

Mollifying nobody

Biden’s action seemed to mollify nobody, as Republicans criticized it as too little, too late while immigrant-rights groups said the move echoed the Trump administration’s actions on the border. A Monmouth University poll found that 40% of the public approved of the move, 27% were opposed, and 33% had no opinion.

Immigration ranks alongside inflation as top issues for voters, and Trump’s harder-line policies on immigration have been shown to be more popular in some surveys than Biden’s, and that includes among Latino voters.

In fact, an Equis poll released on Tuesday of 1,592 registered Latino voters in seven battleground states found 41% trust Trump on immigration, compared to 38% for Biden.

It’s been “disheartening” to observe the rhetoric and legislation targeting undocumented immigrants, Barrera said. A year ago, Florida lawmakers passed one of the toughest crackdowns on illegal immigration in the nation. Its provisions included requiring businesses to vet new employees’ legal status through the federal E-Verify program, which led to media reports that it was harming some Florida businesses.

“We saw it, right, with a bunch of the workforce,” Barrera said. “A lot of the construction sites were empty, so there’s that component of the economic contributions that we give. There’s a lot of agriculture and a lot of construction sites, right? Florida is being built by immigrants and, whether you have status or not, passing a law like this affects families. Whether one person [in the family] has status, they all fled the state because of the fear of the law.”

Over the years, there have been several congressional proposals to create a legal pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, but none of those efforts have come to fruition. While it’s been frustrating, Barrera said, she’s still grateful for what DACA has given her over the past decade-plus.

“It has already provided me with so many opportunities to not only live here but give back to my community, and to study and work here,” she said.