Immigrant activists gear up to protest outside Trump Hotel in Miami before rally

Miami – One hour before GOP presidential contender Donald Trump holds his first Florida campaign rally, groups that advocate for more flexible immigration policies plan to protest against him near his hotel, Trump National Doral Miami.

Bertha Sanles, a spokesperson with United Families, told Fox News Latino her group, along with several others, including the Florida Immigration Coalition, will join together to express their disapproval of Trump’s immigration policies.

Sanles, an undocumented immigrant from Nicaragua who has been in the United States since 2000, said the nation must know that people in her situation are “hard working members of society."

“Donald Trump is an ungrateful guy,” she explained. “The Hispanic and immigrant community deserve respect … we contribute to this country and the economy."

Sanles says they have organized a grassroots effort leading up to Friday to tell the local community about Trump’s upcoming visit and to join their protest.

While some Hispanics have gotten behind Trump’s candidacy, she pointed out that a “majority of Latinos do not support him, we are not standing with him.”

A press release on the protest said that it was being held to condemn the billionaire’s “racist and anti-immigrant remarks.”

Trump is outpacing presidential election rivals, Florida’s own former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, as he continues to dominate early opinion polls. And he is hoping to maintain that advantage with a heavy investment in the state during his two-day swing — his first as a presidential candidate — with rallies planned in Miami on Friday evening and in Jacksonville on Saturday.

"We want to know whether Donald Trump would veto a law that wants to grant legal status to thousands of Venezuelans, if he is elected president," said Helene Villalonga, President of Association of Venezuelan Mothers and Women Abroad, or AMAVEX, in an e-mail sent to news organizations.

"If he wants to veto DACA for Dreamers and deport millions of parents, will he do the same to the growing Venezuelan community in South Florida?"

The Venezuelan Refugee Assistance Act, introduced earlier this month by Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Miami Republican, would pave the way for some Venezuelans who meet certain criteria to obtain legal permanent residency in the U.S.

While Florida doesn't hold its winner-take-all primary until March 15, Trump recently brought on a Florida state campaign director and plans to open a Sarasota office in early November, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said. The campaign is also expected to announce the hiring of multiple state co-chairs shortly and expects to bring in additional staffers.

Bush's campaign headquarters are in Miami and he's opened field offices in Miami and Tampa. Rubio's campaign headquarters are in Washington; he has field offices in early primary states but none so far in Florida.

For Trump, the prize could be a chance to knock out two major rivals on their home turf. A University of North Florida poll of likely Republican primary voters out this week found Trump with the support of 22 percent. Ben Carson, who also lives in the state, had 19 percent. Marco Rubio was third with 15 percent and Jeb Bush fourth with 9 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.