Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced a comprehensive legislative proposal to address the growing threats posed by illegal immigration due to the failure of the Biden administration to secure our nation’s borders.
Florida will lead the way in protecting Americans from the negative effects of the Left’s open borders agenda by increasing penalties for human smuggling, strengthening statutes for the detention of illegal aliens, requiring universal use of E-Verify, increasing penalties for document falsification, and prohibiting the issuance of ID cards by local governments to people who are not lawfully in the country.
“With this legislation, Florida is continuing to crack down on the smuggling of illegal aliens, prohibiting municipalities from issuing ID cards to people here illegally, and requiring employers to hire only U.S. citizens and legal residents,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida is a state of law and order, and we will not ignore the dangers of Biden’s Border Crisis.
We will continue to protect Floridians from the federal government’s irresponsible open-border policies.”To see the full proposal, click here.
“Human smuggling, drug trafficking, and a host of other criminal activities are steadily spilling across the Southern Border and into our state,” said Mark Glass, commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“In conjunction with our continued vigilance and cooperation with our law enforcement partners across the state, the initiatives championed today by Governor DeSantis will help to keep Floridians safer than ever, protecting our citizens from criminals who are in our state illegally and removing them from our communities entirely.”
Senator Blaise Ingoglia stated that the nation’s border crisis is a direct result of the federal government’s refusal to enforce immigration laws.
“The problem is so severe that the federal government ought to declare itself a disaster zone.
It is irresponsible and abhorrent, and our governor will not remain passive as this open-borders agenda continues to dominate our families, friends, and communities.
In fact, he will boldly promote Florida as the model for how other states should combat illegal immigration.”
The legislation also invalidates all out-of-state licenses issued to unauthorized aliens, requires those registering to vote to affirm they are citizens of the United States and legal residents of Florida, prohibits unauthorized immigrants from practicing law, and eliminates out-of-state tuition fee waivers for undocumented immigrant students.
In addition, the proposal mandates that hospitals collect data on the immigration status of patients and the costs associated with providing care to illegal aliens, and regularly report this information to the Governor and Legislature.
As directed by Executive Order 21-223, this data was collected. During the 2021-22 Fiscal Year, illegal aliens in Florida incurred nearly $340 million in healthcare costs, with taxpayers covering more than two-thirds of these expenses.
According to the recommendations of the grand jury convened by the Florida Supreme Court at the request of Governor DeSantis, the increased penalties for human smuggling will:
Make it a felony of the third degree, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and five years of probation, to transport, conceal, or harbor an illegal alien within or into the state.
Make it a felony of the second degree, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, if the illegal alien is under 18; and
Specify that a person commits a separate offense for each person transported, concealed, or harbored, and permit law enforcement to detain transported individuals as material witnesses.
These measures are an expansion of previous actions taken by Governor DeSantis to ensure the safety of Floridians in the face of an unprecedentedly insecure federal border policy, including:
Sending Florida state law enforcement officers and equipment to Texas, where they apprehended thousands of illegal aliens and assisted in the arrests of hundreds of criminals for felonies such as human trafficking and drug smuggling;
Issuing an executive order prohibiting state agencies in Florida from assisting with the resettlement of illegal aliens and prohibiting the licensing of facilities that house unaccompanied children.
Signing legislation prohibiting government contracts with private organizations that aid the Biden administration in resettling illegal immigrants in Florida;
Signing legislation mandating the use of E-Verify to determine employment eligibility by all public employers, contractors, and subcontractors attempting to enter into contracts with public employers;
Suing the Biden administration over its illegal “catch and release” policy and speaking out when the administration announced plans to end Title 42, absurdly claiming that pandemic restrictions and “emergency measures” were still necessary domestically while attempting to eliminate pandemic measures at the border;
Forming a strike force of state and local law enforcement to interdict human smuggling and human trafficking and to seize illegal weapons being transported through the state, resulting in 200 felony charges, nearly 40 human smuggling charges, 66 drug charges, and the seizure of more than $500,000 worth of illicit drugs;
Obtaining $12 million to facilitate the transport of illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard and other sanctuary states, thereby bringing the border crisis to the communities that support Biden’s open border policies, and issuing an executive order to mobilize state law enforcement officers.
To watch the full press conference, click here.
