Resettlement Ambivalence and the Right to Stay in Florida During Times of Increased Immigration Enforcement

Executive Summary

In recent years, federal and state immigration policy shifts have extended surveillance, detention, and deportability into workplaces, schools, healthcare institutions, and local communities. This article examines how these enforcement-first conditions shape Florida immigrants’ resettlement experiences, sense of belonging, and conceptions of home. Drawing on 53 interviews with immigrants with varying legal statuses, and employing the right to remain conceptual framework adapted to the resettlement context, we argue that immigrants’ resettlement intentions are best captured through the concept of resettlement ambivalence —a persistent tension between immigrants’ understanding of their right to stay and the fear and uncertainty produced by an enforcement environment that makes staying feel increasingly precarious. We show how enforcement can destabilize long-term resettlement, although most immigrants assert a moral and practical right to stay in the US.Key Findings:

Enforcement restructured daily life around risk, limiting mobility and long-term planning, and eroded belonging across all legal statuses, producing resettlement ambivalence.