Airport and hotel food and beverage workers with the UNITE HERE Local 355 union, held a press conference at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) demanding an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, on Friday July 10, 2026.
Pedro Portal
pportal@miamiherald.com
Fighting for immigrants
The July 23 Miami Herald story, “Haitians can be deported when TPS ends, but still have long shot chance in court,” refers to a pending case to prove that racial discrimination motivated the Trump administration’s decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. No matter the outcome, dedicated people are still fighting to protect immigrants. We can’t say the same about our elected Republican representatives in the U.S. House (Carlos Giménez, Maria Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart) and U.S. Senate (Ashley Moody and Rick Scott).
Giménez has used his Cuban heritage as a smoke screen to claim he cares about immigrants. His actions state otherwise. He did nothing when more than 4,000 Cubans were deported to Mexico. He defended Alligator Alcatraz. Giménez also never responded to my call after a violent ICE agent held a gun to the head of a legal immigrant in Marathon Key, which prompted a Department of Homeland Security investigation.
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As TPS ends for Haitians, our community will face another ICE surge which will compromise our safety. We must call on our senators to pass bill S. 4814 to extend TPS for Haitians and vote out Republicans who failed immigrants.
Kristin Battista-Frazee,
Big Pine Key
Sen. Scott’s hypocrisy
To describe Sen. Rick Scott’s castigation of Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday, during a hearing convened by Republican Sen. Rand Paul, as “rich” is not enough. Scott raked Fauci over the political coals, joining his Republican colleagues in ridiculing him for asserting his Fifth Amendment rights.
In 2000, Scott invoked his Fifth Amendment right 75 times during a deposition in a civil case unrelated to a criminal fraud case against hospital company Columbia/HCA, in which he served as chairman and CEO until 1997.
This is not news to Floridians who have lived here more than 20 years, but it shows Scott to be a shameless hypocrite and unworthy of the high responsibilities of a U.S. senator.
David Kahn,
Boca Raton
Hammer price
Re: Miami Herald reporter Claire Heddles’ July 24 story, “Byron Donalds gets his biggest contribution yet: $10M from Ken Griffin.” That one donation by one local billionaire is more than the combined fundraising of Donald’s GOP gubernatorial primary opponents and slightly more than Democrat David Jolly’s $9 million.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, played an instrumental role in electing fellow plutocrat Donald Trump to the presidency and then subsequently gutted the U.S. AID funding for the world’s poorest.
Is there any wonder why so many hold the billionaire class in such contempt?
With such unrestricted funding by so few (Donalds has since raised more than $100 million), our democracy more and more resembles an auction by special interests and monied elite, not an election.
John Andrew Ise,
Miami Shores
Humility for Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci once had a distinguished career in medicine, but couldn’t overcome his own pride and arrogance. He deceived the people and sowed irreparable distrust in American medicine.
He must answer for that.
Paul Bacon,
Hallandale Beach
Free trade pact
Recent news that the U.S. could not agree to extend the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a reminder of why these free trade pacts matter so much. While the deal remains in effect until 2036, the three nations are deeply discussing changes expected to affect all industries.
Since 2020, the USMCA has supported one of the most interconnected, competitive trading relationships in the world – enabling efficient and reliable supply chains across three of the world’s largest and most complementary economies, while also setting the standard for what other trade agreements can do.
Such trade agreements build relationships that support economic growth and lower costs for manufacturers and consumers by reducing tariffs and red tape, while giving small and mid-sized businesses a predictable rulebook to build around.
In Florida, that means protecting jobs tied to cross-border trade, supporting produce growers who export throughout the region and giving South Florida’s logistics and distribution companies the certainty to sign multi-year contracts instead of guessing at next quarter’s tariff rate.
Although the agreement remains in effect, the annual review clause has been triggered, raising questions for businesses already navigating tariff uncertainty. Businesses should connect with shipping partners and plan around potentially intricate changes ahead.
Greg Hewitt,
CEO,
DHL Express U.S.
Politics at FIU
The July 24 article, “‘Unusual’: How a Trump attorney became interim dean of FIU’s up-and-coming law school,” raises a larger concern. I am a two-time FIU alumnus and former assistant director of FIU’s Office of Internal Audit. The political circumstances surrounding the appointments of President Jeanette Nuñez, interim law dean Daniel Epstein and the failure of FIU’s institutional guardians are disturbing.
Trustees and senior administrators know why open searches, faculty participation and independent judgment matter. Yet, instead of defending those safeguards, too many appear willing to rationalize decisions after the fact. FIU publicly vetted three law dean finalists and called community input “critically important;” all were bypassed.
Political pressure succeeds only when those entrusted with protecting the university yield. Loyalty to FIU should mean defending its integrity, not accommodating powerful officeholders.
Who inside FIU is prepared to put the institution first?
Manny Sanchez,
Miami
Happy in Norway
Miami and the U.S. fell in love with the Norwegian soccer team while they were here. It’s interesting and ironic that Norway is the epitome of the much-feared democratic socialism.
Maternal and paternal leave, health care for all, education through college or trade school, vacation time, retirement benefits are all guaranteed. Also noteworthy, Norway is always among the top 10 happiest countries, as are the other Scandinavian countries, all democratic socialists and also in the top 10.
The U.S. had ranked about 37th, but that was before tariffs, the Iran conflict, etc.
Sonja Davis,
Miami
Fauci’s diary
Re: the July 29 Miami Herald article, “‘Complete disgrace’ and ‘total jerk‘: What Fauci said about DeSantis in his diary.”
Perhaps those of us who agree with Dr. Fauci’s comments on our nearly termed out governor should thank Sen. Rand Paul for releasing Fauci’s diaries.
Juan A. Galan, Jr.,
Coral Gables
Broaden your horizons
One of the goals of a classically broad education is socialization — that is, knowing about people different from the cloistered life of one’s family. A religious school environment, albeit academically rigorous, tends to surround a student with people whose universe is familiar and comfortable. Of course, that is what many parents seek, but it is probably not reflective of the world, with its diversity of ethnicities and cultures and, one hopes, leads to an appreciation of that diversity, or at least the ability to get along with them.
At my small Ohio liberal arts college, there were students from rural Ohio who had never met a Jew or, for that matter, an African American or gay or lesbian person. This acquaintance generally breeds understanding.
Religious schools do not generally enhance such familiarity and that is a potential barrier to getting along in the “real world.” Of course, that is the world the anti-DEI politicians seek, to the detriment of students.
L. Gabriel Bach,
Key Biscayne
Know the signs
President Trump recently ordered signs be put up at the Smithsonian Museum of American History warning visitors about “inaccurate information” inside.
He should post the same signs at the Department of War, Homeland Security, the State Department, the FBI, the Department of Justice and, most especially, at the White House.
Leon Botkin,
Miami