Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a proposal that will help end the growing wave of illegal immigration into the state.
During a press conference, DeSantis detailed that the measures will increase penalties for human traffickers, prevent the issuance of driver's licenses to illegals and help enforce the ban on employers hiring undocumented immigrants:
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.
The governor urged lawmakers to approve the bill that would also make knowingly transporting, concealing or harboring an illegal alien a punishable felony:
We also say that it is a separate offense for each individual transported, hidden or harbored, and then when people are being transported, even if they have not violated this, they are going to be detained as material witnesses.
Main legislative measures
Measures that will increase "penalties for human trafficking and strengthen statutes for the detention of illegal aliens" include, among other things:
- Universal use of E-Verify: a web-based system that allows registered employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the country.
-Preventing the issuance of driver's licenses to illegals and invalidating those from other states for "unauthorized" immigrants.
- Requiring those registering to vote in the election to affirm that they are citizens of the United States and legal residents of Florida.
- Requiring hospitals to collect data on patients' immigration status and report it periodically to the DeSantis administration.
- Making the transportation, concealment or harboring of an illegal alien in or into the state a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. And if the immigrant is under 18, it makes it a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
2.22.23 Immigration Handout... by Verónica Silveri
Biden and his "reckless open border federal policies"
The governor also noted that "Florida is a law and order state " and criticized President Joe Biden for the "dangers of the border crisis." In addition, he noted that the state's laws need to be updated in order to protect residents from "reckless federal open border policies."
Florida is a law and order state, and we won’t turn a blind eye to the dangers of Biden’s Border Crisis. We will continue to take steps to protect Floridians from reckless federal open border policies.
