Union leaders rally in South Florida against deportations, funding cuts on Labor Day

Union leaders in South Florida used Labor Day to warn that mass deportations, work visa restrictions and federal funding cuts are threatening industries ranging from construction and trucking to healthcare, education and mail delivery.

Immigration and labor shortages

South Florida AFL-CIO president Jeffery Mitchell said immigration and deportation crackdowns are slowing construction projects in Florida because workers fear being detained.

"They're afraid to show up at worksites and be harassed by ICE," Mitchell said.

The National Association of Home Builders has found that 38% of Florida's construction workers are foreign-born.

Mitchell also pointed to transportation. He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio's pause on new work visas for truck drivers comes as the American Trucking Association estimates the industry is short about 60,000 drivers.

"What moves those containers out of the port are tractor-trailers. You need CDLs to move those goods. At some point, it's gonna hit a headway where they're not going to be able to keep up with the demand," Mitchell said.

Healthcare and education funding

Martha Baker, who represents healthcare workers at Jackson Health, said Medicaid cuts in the "big beautiful bill" and the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies threaten hospital budgets.

"There's been time where 30% of our budget is paid by Medicaid," Baker said. "Any time you cut Jackson's budget, you're gonna have to cut services and usually that means cutting employees."

Education leaders raised similar alarms. Antonio White, president of the United Teachers of Dade union, said the same legislation delayed federal grants for Miami-Dade schools.

"English language learner programs. IBEW programs. We have a lot of grant funding education programs directly from the federal government that we're in flux at that particular time," White said.

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