Plan against immigrants without documentation in Florida: these are the new measures
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been trying to make a national name for himself as a strong man against illegal immigration, he has a new plan to go further.
Some of the states along the southern border with Mexico have expressed concern about the current migration crisis as people fleeing adverse situations in the birth nations try to cross the land border. One state that does not share a border with Mexico, but nonetheless whose governor, Ron DeSantis, has taken up the banner of being strong against people seeking a better life in the United States, has proposed some measures against the perceived “growing threats posed by illegal immigration.”
On February 23, DeSantis announced a sweeping legislative proposal to take action against illegal immigration threats resulting from what he calls the Biden administration’s failure to “secure the borders” of the United States.
“With this legislation, Florida is continuing to crack down on the smuggling of illegal aliens, stopping municipalities from issuing ID cards to people here illegally, and ensuring that employers are hiring American citizens or those here legally,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Plan against immigrants without documentation in Florida: these are the new measures
The new measures against undocumented immigrants include:
- Increase penalties for human trafficking
- Strengthen the statutes for the detention of illegal aliens
- Require universal use of E-Verify
- Improve penalties for document falsification
- Ban local governments from issuing ID cards to people not in the country legally
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The legislation also:
- Voids all out-of-state licenses for unauthorized aliens
- Requires those who register to vote to affirm that they are citizens of the United States and legal residents of Florida
- Prevents unauthorized immigrants from being admitted to practice law and eliminates tuition waivers for undocumented immigrant students
In addition, the proposal requires that hospitals:
- Collect data on patient immigration status and costs to provide care to illegal aliens
- Periodically report data to the Governor and Legislature
Regarding the increased penalties for human smuggling, knowingly transporting, concealing, or harboring an illegal alien within or to the state:
- It will be a third degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and five years probation.
- It will be a second degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, if the illegal immigrant is under 18 years of age.
- It will be a separate offense for each person transported, concealed or harbored
- Allow transported persons to be detained by law enforcement as material witnesses
These measures build on actions previously taken by Governor DeSantis to “keep Floridians safe in the face of an unprecedented unsafe federal border policy,” the statement said.