There are more than 140,000 DREAM Act students in the state of Florida that can apply for deferred action.

And close to 50 thousand in Miami-Dade county.

Response to a four week Accent Reduction Class offered by Edison State College in Ft. Myers this summer was so positive the school is going to offer the non-credit course again later this fall. The Hispanic professionals enrolled in the class say in tight job market perfecting their American English improves their prospects. WGCU’s Valerie Alker recently sat in on a class and has this report.

Despite some legislators attempts, immigration reform won’t be on  the agenda for this week’s special session of the Florida legislature.  But passage of Arizona’s controversial immigration law has prompted mixed reaction from Florida lawmakers and political candidates.  While some accuse the law of being discriminatory, others are pushing for a similar policy in Florida.  WGCU’s John Davis reports.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department is partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents to more quickly identify illegal aliens involved in criminal activity. WGCU’s John Davis reports.

Bush Administration rules that made it easier for growers to hire temporary foreign workers have been revised. The new regulations went into effect Monday. WGCU’s Valerie Alker Reports.

An Immokalee man is in federal custody on charges related to the enslavement of a teenage Guatemalan girl smuggled into the U.S. in 2007. Francisco Domingo faces ten years in prison without parole and a 250 thousand dollar fine with more charges pending. The Guatemalan teen alleges Domingo forced her into field labor and sexual servitude.  Domingo’s federal detention hearing took place Monday. WGCU’s John Davis spoke with News-Press reporter Amy Bennett Williams who’s been investigating the story since Domingo’s arrest last week.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is hosting a mobile slavery museum exhibit this week throughout Southwest Florida. WGCU’s John Davis reports.

Farm workers and migrant advocates in Immokalee gathered wednesday to organize a cry for help.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Children of migrant families seldom finish a school year on one campus – they have to go where the work is. Some change schools as their parents move around the country, take time out to work the fields or drop out of school altogether. At Immokalee High School there’s a new crop of students who want to break the mold and reach for something better. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Increased immigration enforcement and some high profile cases involving human trafficking are causing some growers in Florida to rethink how to get their crops harvested.  An alternative to hiring farm laborers – who may or may not be properly documented – is the government’s H-2A temporary worker program.  Some farm worker advocates criticize the program.  Others say if it’s done right, everyone benefits.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker has more.