Florida is one of the most immigration-diverse states in the nation. With approximately 4.6 million foreign-born residents, roughly 21% of the state’s population, Florida has the third-largest immigrant population in the country after California and Texas. The composition of Florida’s immigrant community is unmatched in its diversity: South Florida is home to the largest Cuban-American community in the United States, the largest Haitian-American community outside of New York, and major communities from Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Honduras, Brazil, and Jamaica. Central Florida, around Orlando, has a large Puerto Rican and Dominican community. South Florida’s Miami-Dade County alone ranks as the county with the most residents with pending immigration court deportation cases in the country as of February 2026.
The immigration landscape in Florida is shaped in part by the state’s political environment. Florida, under Governor DeSantis, has enacted some of the most aggressive state-level immigration enforcement laws in the country, including Senate Bill 1718 (2023), which expanded E-Verify requirements, criminalised transporting undocumented immigrants across state lines, required hospitals to ask about immigration status, and eliminated certain in-state tuition access. In this environment, understanding your rights and having strong legal representation is not optional; it is essential.
Aftalion Law Group represents Florida clients throughout Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Tallahassee, St. Petersburg, Pembroke Pines, Cape Coral, and every city and county in the state.
Florida is served by multiple immigration courts that collectively face the most severe court backlog in the United States. As of early 2026, Miami’s immigration court holds the largest case backlog of any court in the nation, with approximately 317,000 pending cases, nearly 10% of the entire national backlog. Orlando ranks third nationally with approximately 227,000 pending cases. Florida’s total immigration court backlog exceeds 494,000 cases. Together, Florida and Texas account for nearly one-third of all pending immigration cases in the United States.
For asylum seekers in Florida, Miami has approximately 158,000 pending asylum cases, and Orlando has approximately 108,000 combined. Florida holds more pending asylum cases than most entire countries’ immigration court systems handle in years. Despite the volume, Miami’s overall asylum grant rate is lower than many comparable courts, historically around 27% of decided cases since 2000, making strategic case preparation critical. Miami’s court operates with only about 32 immigration judges handling over 317,000 cases, creating caseloads that are unsustainable by any standard. Wait times for hearing dates in both Miami and Orlando are now routinely three to four years from the initial filing date.
Florida also has significant ICE detention capacity, including the Broward Transitional Centre in Pompano Beach and the Baker County Detention Centre, which handle detained dockets with entirely different timelines and procedures than non-detained courts.
One Riverview Square, 333 S. Miami Avenue, Suite 700, Miami, FL 33130.
Orlando Immigration Court
3535 Lawton Road, Suite 200, Orlando, FL 32803
This court oversees removal hearings, asylum claims, and various other immigration proceedings for residents throughout the state.
No matter where you live in Florida, our attorneys are equipped to provide reliable legal support for your immigration matters.
Aftalion Law Group provides comprehensive immigration services for individuals and families across Florida, including:
Priority practice areas for Florida residents include asylum (critical given the volume and complexity of Florida’s asylum docket and Miami’s below-average grant rate), removal defense, family-based immigration for Florida’s enormous Cuban, Haitian, and Caribbean communities, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applications (major TPS-eligible populations from Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua live in Florida), employment-based immigration for South Florida’s finance and international trade sectors, and VAWA applications.
Immigration is about more than paperwork—it’s about your future. Whether you’re reuniting with loved ones or protecting your right to stay, we’re here to help. Visit our blog for updates on new USCIS guidelines, court decisions, and immigration news that may affect Florida residents.
Immigration law in Florida requires local knowledge, court awareness, and strategic preparation. Contact Aftalion Law Group today for a free case evaluation. We are ready to help you and your family move forward with confidence.
