Does illegal immigration impact Manatee County? It’s complicated, local officials say

Critics are calling the Manatee County Commission’s recent meeting on the impacts of illegal immigration a political stunt and a diversion from other important local issues.

However, local officials and stakeholders shared eye-opening information, including statistics about how undocumented immigrants are more likely to become victims of crime, the high costs of medical treatment and how it affects the school district.

In a politically charged opening, Manatee County Chief of Staff Andrew Butterfield criticized the federal government’s border policies and highlighted an increase in overdose deaths.

Butterfield’s introduction paved the way for county officials, including Supervisor of Elections James Satcher, Public Safety Director Jodie Fisk and Director of Community and Veterans Services Lee DePalo to discuss how illegal immigration hits home.

Immigration’s impact in Manatee County

▪ Hard data on the number of undocumented immigrants in Manatee County is hard to come by. Nobody seems to have a handle on exact numbers, whether school officials, healthcare providers or law enforcement officers.

▪ There has been no surge in crime in Manatee County because of what is happening at the U.S. southern border. There’s not been a big increase in traffic violations or fentanyl overdoses, either.

Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells says he has not seen a big spike and he’s been closely tracking it since 2017.

“Dealers are every race — white, Black, Hispanic, you name it,” Wells said.

State Attorney Ed Brodsky agreed that what’s happening on the border is not driving local crime stats.

“We haven’t seen a big spike in crime,” he said.

▪ Undocumented immigrants are vulnerable to becoming crime victims themselves.

Some are victims of sexual or domestic abuse within the family and are fearful of reporting the crime to law enforcement authorities because of their immigration status. Sometimes the abuser is the primary breadwinner, and the family is fearful that if the person is arrested, the family would be left destitute.

In addition, because immigrants don’t always put their money into a bank account, they become vulnerable to being robbed, Wells said.

Brodsky concurred.

“It is a real problem. Because of their status, it makes them more vulnerable to being victims of crime,” he said.

Both Brodsky and Wells said more needs to be done to send a message to immigrant families dealing with crime issues that help is available.

Charlie Bishop, Manatee County administrator, said his staff would help create public service announcements that aim to let crime victims know they can reach out for help without fear of being punished because of their immigration status.

Healthcare impacts

Tom McDougal, CEO of Manatee Memorial Hospital, said he did not have conclusive data on the number of undocumented immigrants seeking care, as most patients do not disclose their immigration status.

But the hospital’s annual cost for free care has grown from $8.9 million in 2021 to $16.4 million in 2023.

Among those using the hospital emergency room, 6% said they were undocumented immigrants. The actual percentage of undocumented immigrants in the ER could be double or triple that, McDougal said.

Manatee Memorial, which is providing indigent care, is doing so without a contract with Manatee County Government, he said.

“I can’t afford to keep doing this without being compensated,” McDougal said.

Manatee School District

Chad Choate, chairman of the Manatee County School Board, said the federal government does not allow the district to collect data from families on their immigration status.

“At the end of the day, we’ll do what we have to do to teach every child who walks through the door,” he said.

At the end of the nearly two-hour meeting, Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, said that a lot of the issues presented Tuesday “aren’t necessarily ours,” concluding that thought needs to be given to “what can we do to alleviate the situation?”

Democrats respond to illegal immigration meeting

But some noticeably absent voices had more thoughts to share about how immigration impacts the Bradenton area and whether local officials should tackle the subject.

Chris Wetherington, Manatee County Democratic Party chair, swiftly issued a press release condemning the special meeting on immigration.

“Instead of engaging in political theatrics, the commissioners should prioritize tackling urgent local issues such as the dire need for infrastructure improvements, unchecked overbuilding, environmental degradation, assaults on women’s rights, censorship attempts including banning books, and the dangerous revisionism of history,” Wetherington said.

“It is disappointing to witness our elected officials prioritize divisive rhetoric and partisan gamesmanship over the well-being of Manatee County residents. If the Board truly cares about immigration reform, we urge them to direct their efforts where they can make a meaningful impact: advocating for bipartisan immigration reform at the federal level,” he said.

In a text message to the Bradenton Herald, Commissioner Mike Rahn, chairman of the Manatee County Commission, called the Democratic Party “clueless” about how illegal immigration affects residents.

Local business leader lobbies Congress

Bradenton restaurateur John Horne has previously spoken out on the need for a process that would allow immigrant workers to fill jobs without fear of repercussions.

Restaurants, farms and construction are all sectors that are dealing with a shortage of workers.

This week, Horne was in Washington, D.C., with the National Restaurant Association to talk to legislators, including U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, about immigration issues.

One of the problems with the E-Verify law that became mandatory for employers with 25 or more employees, starting July 1, 2023, is getting an appointment with the Department of Homeland Security.

Horne said he heard of someone trying to follow the legal immigration process, but the soonest appointment is in 2036.

“I think the county should send a strong letter to Rubio, Scott and Vern instead of having this meeting. I don’t know why they are doing this,” Horne said. “There are a lot of things the county commission needs to focus on.”

Local advocates push immigration reform

C. J. Czaia, a Bradenton personal injury attorney and long-time advocate for immigration reform, agrees that it takes too long to get a hearing, anywhere between eight and 12 years due to staffing challenges.

“We need Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration law. I know so many people who just want to work and go home,” Czaia said.

The last significant immigration reform bill went into law during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Czaia said.

Evelyn Almodóvar, executive director of Unidos Now, said in an email that while the goal of ensuring public safety and resource allocation is important, conflating immigration status with criminality and costs on taxpayer money perpetuates harmful stereotypes and fuels anti-immigrant sentiment.

“The reality is that the vast majority of immigrants, regardless of their legal status, are not criminals and contribute positively to our society. Latinos last year contributed more than $3.2 trillion to the GDP as this group owns more than 4.5 million businesses and employ over 2.9 million people,” she said.

“Many of us (of) Latin American descent choose to teach our children Spanish at home as their first language to preserve our heritage. This does not mean that our students are undocumented. In 2022, Manatee County English Learning Students (12.8%) are less than those with disabilities (15.3%) and out of those English learning students, only a small percentage (0.5%) are considered migrants according to the Florida Department of Education,” she said.

“I look forward to contributing to any future conversation regarding our families and helping highlight the vibrant cultural tapestry that defines Manatee County while we work together to find common sense solutions to our regional ever-growing population,” Almodóvar said.