Miami, Florida. – The Florida House of Representatives approved HB 1718, which seeks to prohibit counties and municipalities from funding any person, entity or organization to provide identification documents to someone who lacks proof of state legal status. -United. The measure was approved by 83 votes in favor and 36 against.
It is also considering, among other items, penalties of up to 15 years in prison for those who transport irregular immigrants to Florida, as well as fines for employers who hire undocumented immigrants.
The initiative now falls to the office of the governor of the state, the Republican candidate and eventual presidential Ron DeSantis, promoter of the measure and whose imminent signature is expected.
The bill will reach DeSantis’ desk after it was approved last Friday in the state Senate and after the Republican-controlled Florida House of Representatives on Monday rejected 19 amendments proposed by the Democratic opposition.
“This immigration bill doesn’t solve any problems; it just dehumanizes people based on how they got to this country,” Democratic Representative Rita Harris criticized.
The initiative approved by the state legislature, with a Republican majority in both houses, imposes up to 15 years in prison on anyone transporting undocumented immigrants to Florida, as well as fines and the revocation of licenses for businesses which do not guarantee the legality of immigration of all their workers.
It also establishes a requirement for state hospitals and medical centers to collect information about the immigration status of their patients and invalidates driver’s licenses in Florida issued to undocumented immigrants in other states.
The text approved today will also prevent lawyers covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), known as “dreamers”, from practicing from November 2028.
“Nearly 20% of Floridians are immigrants. A bill that directly harms one-fifth of our population has no place in our state. Simply put, this bill is disgraceful,” said Today today Kirk Bailey, political director of the branch in this state of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU, in English).
Bailey added that the bill encourages racial profiling of a variety of Floridians and creates a “show me your papers” culture, while harming businesses, the local economy and the public health system.
He noted that a similar law in Arizona resulted in a loss of $141 million in direct expenditures and caused $253 million in “loss of economic output”, among other things.
“It is not intended to provide the protection they demand, and it will not provide a solution to the broken federal immigration system. The border crisis is scaremongering propaganda and is being used as an excuse to increase government overreach. “, he said for his part Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC).
Last week, a group of 80 doctors and medical professionals sent letters to the leaders of both houses of the Florida Legislative Assembly, namely Senator Kathleen Passidomo and Congressman Paul Renner , warning that the proposal carries a significant risk of undermining health policies.
They recalled that the US Department of Homeland Security has established in a guide the so-called “protected areas”, which are far from the scope of immigration laws, which explicitly include hospitals and medical centers.
“A hospital is not an appropriate place to involve someone in private immigration matters,” the letter’s signatories noted.
In addition, the bill also invalidates in Florida any immigrant identification permits issued by other states.
It also requires certain hospitals to collect information on the immigration status of patients on admission or registration forms, requires the Economic Opportunity Department to enter a certain order and the reimbursement of certain economic development incentives if the department finds out or if you receive notice that an employer has given employment to a person who knows they are an undocumented immigrant.
Additionally, it includes funds of $12,000,000,000 for the transfer of immigrants to other states in the country.
Now, with the measure signed in both legislative bodies, it moves to Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature to be approved and take effect July 1 of the current year.
Last Friday, the Senate signed the measure into law, prompting a reaction from Paula Muñoz, director of campaign organizing for the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
In a press release, Muñoz said, “Our state senators are deliberately hurting Florida families for their own political gain. People who live in Florida will have to miss events, sometimes big events like graduations or weddings, because they’re basically stuck in a state that’s chasing them. Similarly, if someone needs treatment outside of Florida, they will not be able to return home. It’s bad legislation that will make our state less secure and less prosperous.”
What the immigration law would allow:
- Requires employers with more than 25 workers to use E-verify to determine employment eligibility, criminalizes the use of false IDs to obtain eligibility, and allows license revocation or fines substantial if an employer violates E-verify requirements four times within a 24-month period, limiting employment access to individuals who have unregulated immigration status.
- Require Medicaid-accepting hospitals and emergency departments to collect data on patients’ immigration status, including when they visit the emergency room, and regularly report the cost of care provided to out-of-status patients regulated immigration to the AHCA and the Legislature.
- Makes transporting people without regulated immigration status into the state of Florida a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This includes charging you with a felony for being returned to the state of Florida when living here permanently. It also includes entering the state for tourism or business meetings with friends, colleagues, or relatives without regulated immigration status.
- Prohibits funding for community identification programs at the city and county level.
- Cancels driver’s licenses issued by 16 states and the District of Columbia to drivers without regulated immigration status.
- Provides for the Chief of Homeland Security to coordinate immigration enforcement actions in Florida.
- Repeals the law that allows lawyers who still regulate their immigration status to practice law if they approved it after 2018.
- It requires law enforcement to take DNA samples from people who do not have regulated immigration status and who are being held under a federal detention request.