Florida

Keeping the American Dream Alive for Florida’s Immigrant & Minority-Owned Small Businesses

About ABIC Florida

ABIC Florida, also known as IMPAC Fund, is a growing and diverse set of businesses and business associations promoting bipartisan common sense immigration solutions at the federal and state levels that benefit the people and economy of Florida. We recognize immigrants’ important contributions to our communities and economies.

Our goal is to unite across diverse sectors — high-skilled and low-skilled employers, large corporations and small businesses — in a successful push for sensible immigration reform alongside elected officials and immigrant advocates.

Our Florida State Representatives

State Director, Florida

Samuel Vilchez Santiago

Samuel Vilchez Santiago is ABIC’s Florida State Director. He is originally from Venezuela, and came to the U.S. as a political asylee at an early age. Prior to joining ABIC, Samuel was the Human and Civil Rights Manager at ActBlue and the Florida Campaign Manager at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an umbrella coalition of national civil rights organizations. Samuel obtained a Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford. He is a recipient of President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award and the Congressional Youth Award.

What We Do

ABIC Florida

Amplifies the voices of Florida’s Venezuelan TPS holders: In September IMPAC Fund released original polling demonstrating the dissatisfaction Venezuelan American Florida voters and residents have with members of Florida’s congressional delegation who fail to support legislating a path to citizenship for the state’s Venezuelan TPS holders. The poll showed potential consequences for incumbents seeking re-election in 2022. In addition to the poll, Venezuelan-American leaders, economists, and business owners held a press conference to make the case that a pathway to citizenship leads to economic growth and should be included in the reconciliation process.

Amplifies the voices of Florida Business Leaders: Also in September, IMPAC Fund coordinated the signing of a letter delivered to the Florida Members of Congress from business leaders from Florida asking them to support a path to permanence to Dreamers, TPS holders, farmworkers, and essential workers. Doing so will allow them to fully contribute to our economic prosperity as we rebuild and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advocates for bipartisan solutions: IMPAC Fund brings together immigrants’ rights advocates from both sides of the aisle to press Congress for immigration reforms. In August, 2021, we hosted eleven prominent democratic and republican politicians and business leaders, reflecting a united front for a path to citizenship for the Florida immigrant population.

Partners with Florida universities on behalf of Dreamers: Dreamers are among Florida’s best, brightest, and hardest working college students. We partner with universities to advance a path to citizenship for Dreamers so that they can fully participate in our economy.

Led opposition to flawed e-verify system: When the Florida Senate took up the idea of forcing all Florida employers to use the intrinsically flawed, inefficient and expensive e-verify database to filter out undocumented immigrants, IMPAC Fund led the fight against it.