YBOR CITY, Fla. — U.S. Representative Kathy Castor joined community leaders on Tuesday evening to discuss immigration policies.
The town hall was hosted by the Democratic Hispanic Caucus, the LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, and the League of United Latin American Citizens.
WATCH: U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and community leaders host town hall on immigration policies
It was held at the Cuban Club in Ybor City.
The panel included Rep. David Jolly, a Gubernatorial candidate, and Senator Jose Rodriguez, a Florida Attorney General candidate.
It also featured Patrick Mantiega, La Gaceta Editor and Publisher, along with immigration attorneys.
Jose Lucena is President of the Hillsborough County Democratic Veterans Caucus. He says under the Trump administration, people are living in fear of deportation.
"I am Hispanic. I am Latino, and to me, this is a very important topic. I feel this whole immigration crackdown is really just for a lack of a better statement, it's racist, you know, the agenda this administration has," said Lucena.
The panel also discussed the state's migrant detention center, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz. Representative Castor acknowledged immigration laws are broken, but said more needs to be done to give people a path to citizenship.
"We need to bring some sanity back to our immigration laws so the people can work hard and get on the pathway to the American Dream rather than ripping the carpet out from under them and throwing them into detention centers when they don't have criminal records," said Rep. Castor.
We reached out to Jake Hoffman, Executive Director for the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, to get his take on Tuesday night's town hall criticizing President Trump's policies.
"Donald Trump was elected significantly because of the immigration policy that he wants to implement. The American people, by and large, want to see immigration enforced, and what they’re doing, and the state of Florida is just a continuation of why Donald Trump was elected in the first place," he said.
There are some truly inspiring people who call the Tampa Bay area home. People who overcome odds that others could not even imagine. Tampa Bay 28 anchor Lauren St. Germain met a woman who is doing just that, as she competes at an international level after 2 life-saving lung transplants.
