Governor Ron DeSantis is taking action to stop the Biden-backed flood of illegal immigration in Florida. The governor’s office announced Thursday that it would push the state legislature to increase penalties for human smuggling, strengthen laws surrounding the detention of illegal migrants, and mandate the use of E-Verify by employers. The governor said he proposed the new measures in response to “the deleterious effects of the Left’s open borders agenda.”
Florida’s Next Steps to Fight Biden’s Border Crisis https://t.co/1dS98DUDw1
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 23, 2023
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“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,” DeSantis said in a statement.
Under the new human smuggling crackdown, transporting or concealing an illegal alien in Florida will be a third-degree felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. If the person being smuggled is under 18, the charge becomes a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years. The new measures would also count each person smuggled as a separate offense.
“Human smuggling, drug trafficking, and a host of other criminal activities are steadily spilling across the Southern Border and into our state,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said. “The initiatives championed today by Governor DeSantis will help to keep Floridians safer than ever.”
The new measures will also require public and private employers’ universal use of E-Verify to determine employment eligibility. Local governments will be prohibited from issuing IDs to illegal aliens, and all out-of-state licenses given to illegal immigrants will be invalidated. The measures also include new election protections, requiring newly-registering voters to verify they are legal Florida residents.
Florida hospitals will also be required to collect data on the immigration status of patients and the total costs of care provided to illegal immigrants and issue regular reports to the governor and the legislature. Data collected during FY 2022 showed healthcare costs for illegal aliens totaled $340 million, with Florida taxpayers footing two-thirds of the bill.
The governor announced the sweeping changes as part of an ongoing effort to clamp down on the White House’s open borders agenda, leaving a migrant crisis along the shores of the sunshine state.
“The border crisis this nation is experiencing is a direct result of the federal government refusing to enforce immigration laws,” said Senator Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, who will officially introduce the new measures to the legislature. “The problem is so bad that the federal government should declare itself its own disaster area.”
During the press conference, DeSantis condemned the Biden administration for their handling of the border and said the president might face some difficulty if he runs for a second term.
“If he’s going to run again, this is a massive problem for him. And I think that they may be wising up about that, because, you can’t defend the borders of your own country? That’s kind of like your primary job.”
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The Florida legislature will meet in March to discuss the governor’s new plan.
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