Nancy Guan

Owner of Asian grocery in Bradenton says tariffs, rising costs may close store for good After more than 40 years in business, owner John Wong says Wong Kai Imports, one of the few Asian markets in Manatee County, may shut down by the end of the year.

Wong Kai Imports, one of the few Asian grocery stores in Manatee County, could close by the end of the year due to rising costs and tariffs. John Wong, who ran the store with his family for 43 years, calls it the “end of a legacy.”

www.wusf.org/economy-busi...

WUSF wins coveted National Murrow Award for overall excellence It's among the most respected journalism awards in the world, recognizing the station's commitment to public service above all else.

In other news, @wusf just won a National Murrow award for overall excellence! So proud to be a part of this news room that worked tirelessly to cover back-to-back hurricanes and key election issues last year. Don’t think things have actually slowed down since then💪

www.wusf.org/wusf-station...

Deported from Tampa, Venezuelan asylum-seeker recounts time in El Salvador's mega-prison More than 200 Venezuelans were sent to El Salvador's maximum security prison in March, including Frengel Reyes, who was living in Tampa with his wife and is now back in his homeland without her.

The U.S. government deported 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador’s mega-prison in March. One of them was Frengel Reyes, an asylum seeker from Tampa. After their release, he and others are speaking out about what they call brutal, inhumane treatment.

www.wusf.org/politics-iss...

Immigration arrests are up nationwide. Here's a look at Florida's numbers In Florida, where the governor has promised to lead the immigration crackdown, increased arrests mirror the national trend, especially for those with no criminal background.

In Florida, where the governor has promised to lead the immigration crackdown, daily arrests have tripled compared to last year —and a growing share are of those with no criminal background. For my latest, I dive into ICE arrest data from The Deportation Project.
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Florida troopers tapped surveillance network for immigration searches, raising alarm - Suncoast Searchlight Florida troopers ran hundreds of immigration-related searches using a private license plate reader network, raising concerns about surveillance and public safety.

An analysis from Suncoast Searchlight found Florida Hwy Patrol, and law enforcement in the Manatee-Sarasota area, tapped into a vast private surveillance network Flock Safety, that scans license plates, to aid in immigration crackdowns.

suncoastsearchlight.org/florida-fhp-...

In Sarasota, a woman's family pleads for her release from ICE detention in Texas Maria Martinez, 22, who is in the country without legal documentation, was stopped for a traffic violation in North Port, then handed over to ICE. Her family hopes she can be released on bond.

Maria Martinez’s family are pleading for her return. The recent college grad is in the country w/o documentation and was detained after a traffic stop in Sarasota. According to her lawyer, she has no criminal history, a growing population in detention centers.

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Pasco-Hernando State College faculty bemoans 'no transparency' amid resignations, firings Jesse Pisors resigned as PHSC president after being accused of concealing enrollment data. An ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis was named interim president, and more resignations and terminations followed.

Pasco-Hernando State College faculty say their trust in the upper administration has eroded amid a string of resignations and terminations. They want answers on the origins of an enrollment report that pushed the former president to resign last month.

www.wusf.org/education/20...

These Florida 'Dreamers' say they're scrambling as a tuition hike could put college out of reach Florida lawmakers are getting rid of a waiver that lets students without legal status pay in-state tuition. We hear from two students about what this means for their future.

Florida students who lack legal status are expecting tuition costs to triple. As part of a broader immigration crackdown, the state is no longer letting them pay the in-state tuition rate. Two students share what this could mean for their future.

www.wusf.org/education/20...

Mother of 1-year-old girl among dozens of Cubans deported from Florida last month A Florida family was torn apart when the mother of a 1-year old was deported to Cuba, even though she is married to an American citizen.

ICYMI: The story of Heidy Sánchez, a mother of a one-year-old who was deported to Cuba, aired this morning. Her family is asking for humanitarian parole to bring Sánchez back. Otherwise, it’ll likely take years for her to reunite with them.

www.npr.org/2025/05/13/n...

She was deported to Cuba, and wonders when she’ll see her 1-year-old daughter and husband again Lawyers and families across the U.S. are seeing more people being detained at immigration appointments, striking fear into the immigrant community.

As Trump ramps up deportations, accounts of people being detained at immigration check-ins are surfacing across the U.S. That's what happened to Heidy Sánchez, who was deported to Cuba last week. She wonders when she'll see her daughter and husband again. www.wusf.org/politics-iss...

Hundreds protest at Tampa's ICE office over deportations of 2 Venezuelan men Family members of the men say they are asylum seekers who were wrongfully detained and deported to El Salvador's maximum security prison known as CECOT.

ICYMI: Hundreds protested on behalf of Luis Marcano and Frengel Reyes, who were asylum seekers living in the Tampa Bay. The families of the two Venezuelan men say they’re among the more than 200 deported to El Salvador’s maximum security prison CECOT.

www.wusf.org/politics-iss...

How one man is keeping Chinese Kung Fu alive in Tampa Bob Ong, 70, has been practicing Kung Fu for almost as long as he's been alive — from New York's Chinatown in the 1960s to today in Tampa.

I met Bob Ong randomly at my gym when he gave me a red envelope for Chinese New Year— well turns out he’s a kung fu master with deep roots in New York’s Chinatown. Here’s the story about how he’s keeping the practice alive today in Tampa! www.wusf.org/arts-culture...

Florida 'Dreamers' head to Tallahassee to seek in-state college tuition protection They're making their voices heard in Tallahassee. They hope to convince legislators that eliminating in-state tuition for students like them does more harm than good.

Led by TheDream.US, a group of Dreamers and immigrant advocates are hoping to convince legislators to soften a bill that takes away in-state tuition rates for undocumented students (including DACA recipients).

www.wusf.org/education/20...

O Cinema co-founder says 'antisemitism' eviction would put Miami Beach arts on the line “It starts with O Cinema, this little indie theater. Next day, it's a playwright presenting a play. Or a musician performing. Or a visual artist,” said Kareem Tabsch. Mayor Steven Meiner wants to evic...

NEW: Interviewed the co-founder of O Cinema, the nonprofit on Miami Beach that is being threatened with eviction for showing an Israeli/Palestinian film that the mayor personally objected to.

Not a good look for a city that hosts Art Basel Miami Beach, he argued.

www.wlrn.org/arts-culture...

A closer look at the 'race-based scholarship' at USF that is under federal investigation The University of South Florida is among the institutions under scrutiny for participating in "race-based" scholarship programs, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

USF is among dozens of universities being investigated for allegedly using racial preference in their graduate programs or scholarships. Here’s a closer look at the McKnight Fellowship that aids African American and Hispanic doctoral students.

www.wusf.org/university-b...

Pinellas School District Police mistakenly applied for ICE program, officials say The district police chief explained how he had mistakenly applied for a program that aids federal immigration agents. The application is no longer being considered.

Pinellas school officials clarified that district police will not be joining the immigration enforcement 287(g) program. The blunder comes amid already heightened fears, now that schools are no longer “protected areas.”

www.wusf.org/education/20...

Amid funding halt, Tampa Bay area refugee groups urge community to help The Trump administration suspended the Refugee Admissions Program in January, cutting off funding for groups that help refugee families settle in the U.S. Now, the State Department has terminated the ...

After a funding pause, the federal government canceled contracts with Refugee Resettlement agencies that help newly-arrived families adjust to life in the U.S. Tampa Bay area aid groups are now scrambling and urging the community to help.

www.wusf.org/local-state/...

ICE is quietly expanding operations with local law enforcement across the nation The Florida Highway Patrol was the first agency to enter into a new kind of street-level deportation enforcement agreement with ICE. But without any public notice, ICE has been striking the same deals...

Several of Florida’s state agencies and counties have also signed up for a new “Task Force Model” that’s quietly expanding across the country, reports @danielrivero.bsky.social

www.wlrn.org/government-p...

ICE and all Florida sheriffs sign cooperation agreements. Now they await streamlined training Florida sheriffs from all 67 counties in the state have announced cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.

Florida is moving swiftly to tighten cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE in order to carry out the president’s efforts at mass deportations. All 67 counties have signed 287(g) Agreements, setting local officers up for training.

www.wusf.org/courts-law/2...

Most Florida students' reading and math skills are still below grade level Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, students are still recovering when it comes to learning reading and math. A new report that combines scores from The Nation's Report Cardwith state test r...

Last month, The Nation’s Report Card (NAEP) showed that no state recovered to their pre-pandemic levels of math and reading. But new data from Harvard and Stanford tells us how individual districts are doing. Here’s how the Tampa Bay fared.
www.wusf.org/education/20...

Local law officers must cooperate with ICE. What that may mean for the public State leaders are seeking greater cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration agencies. Immigrant advocates warn that trust between police and the communities they protect will erode.

As some states like Florida seek to cooperate with the president’s plan for mass deportation, a lot of focus is on 287(g) agreements — contracts that govern how local law enforcement can assist federal immigration agents. Here’s a primer of sorts:

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How school districts across the Tampa area are responding to potential for immigration agents Since the Trump administration opened up schools to immigration enforcement, families are concerned what can happen to their kids. Tampa Bay area school districts outline their policies on the matter.

ICYMI: @kerrysheridan.bsky.social and I took a look at how schools may handle ICE presence. Florida districts walk a fine line between assuring families and abiding by federal law. However, there are rights all students have regardless of immigration status.

www.wusf.org/education/20...

Dreamers say eliminating in-state tuition waivers would make college an impossible goal Immigration advocates react to a sweeping immigration bill would eliminate in-state tuition waivers, which have made college accessible for 10 years to Florida students without legal status.

ICYMI: Last week, Florida legislators voted to eliminate in-state tuition for Dreamers and other students without legal status. The proposal hangs in the balance as Gov. DeSantis and lawmakers spar over the broader immigration bill.

www.wusf.org/education/20...

This week on the FloridaMatters Podcast we discuss how a second Trump term may affect immigrants in Florida. I also talk about immigrant families who are preparing mentally and emotionally.

www.wusf.org/podcast/flor...

Tampa Bay-area lawyers express concerns over a tougher immigration landscape under Trump The threat of an immigration crackdown is creating a lot of uncertainty — including for those trying to gain legal status.

The incoming Trump administration has talked of cracking down on illegal and legal immigration pathways. I spoke with Tampa Bay area attorneys about their concerns under a stricter landscape.

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Tampa-area immigrants brace for Trump's promise of mass deportations Immigrant communities across the nation are on high alert, including in the Tampa Bay region, which is home to more than 80,000 people without the required legal documents.

In a week, Trump is set to begin his second-term in office. His vow to deport millions, have put immigrant communities on high-alert, including in the Tampa Bay. We spoke with mixed status families in the area, who are bracing themselves for what could happen.

www.wusf.org/politics-iss...

DACA recipients can enroll in ACA while awaiting appeal of judge's ruling A federal judge sided with Florida and 18 other states that challenged a Biden administration rule to allow Dreamers to access the Affordable Care Act, but an appeals court has issued a stay.

This year, the Biden Administration extended the Affordable Care Act to DACA recipients. However Florida and 18 other states are challenging it in court. While a judge initially ruled in their favor, DACA and other immigrants can still enroll in health plans for now.

www.wusf.org/health-news-...

Hurricanes left Tampa Bay's immigrant community reeling. Here's how some are recovering A vibrant immigrant community in Clearwater experienced some of the worst flooding in the area. Local groups are stepping in to ensure they're getting the right resources.

Months after hurricanes devastated the Tampa Bay Area, people are still recovering. One immigrant community in Clearwater was hit particularly hard. In my latest feature for @WUSF, I spoke with some of those families about the uphill journey.

www.wusf.org/local-state/...