Undocumented defenders slam DeSantis’ new immigration law

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MIAMI Governor Ron DeSantis plans to sign new legislation to bolster his immigrant relocation program in a move that undocumented migrant advocates have criticized.

Republican lawmakers in Florida on Tuesday passed SB 1718 to allocate $12 million to the program designed to protest President Joe Bidens’ policies.

The law, which Florida Democrats have defined as anti-immigrant, will also require businesses with 25 or more employees to use E-Verify to confirm their eligibility.

The bill could have been much worse than it is, Archbishop Thomas Wenski said. Unfortunately, he still has a few teeth.

The law will also prohibit local governments from funding organizations that issue identity cards to undocumented migrants and invalidate their use of out-of-state driver’s licenses. It will also require hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a question about citizenship status on their admission forms.

This is very concerning because it will create fear and prevent our communities from accessing health care, said Tessa Petit, of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, an organization of more than 65 organizations and more than 100 allies.

Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to sign new legislation to bolster his immigrant resettlement program in a move that advocates for undocumented migrants have criticized.

The law will also criminalize any person or organization caught transporting undocumented immigrants into the state of Florida.

It’s an interesting piece of legislation in that it doesn’t solve anything it claims to solve, said Randy McGrorty, director of Catholic Legal Services. The only people affected by this bill are those who have not been inspected by the federal government.

Everyone at the border was screened and released to pursue an asylum claim.

Pandemic restrictions on immigration expire May 11, so the Biden administration recently announced that 1,500 active-duty soldiers would join the 2,500 members of the National Guard to assist US Customs and Border Protection in the US-Mexico border.

The Biden administration is preparing to open immigration processing centers with help from Spain and Canada in Guatemala and Colombia to prevent illegal immigration and human trafficking.

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