Illegal immigration will not be tolerated in the state of Florida. SB 1718 (HB 1617), just passed the house by an 83-36 margin. Sponsored by Republican State Representative Kiyan Michael and prime cosponsored by Representative Berny Jacques, addresses border enforcement efforts and affirms Florida as a law and order state.
The reason Representative Michael sponsored this bill is because of her own horrific experience. Rep Michael and her husband Bobby are known as “angel parents.” This new term describes relatives of people killed by illegal immigrants. Bobby Michael explained to Jolt that their son was killed in a car crash involving an illegal immigrant who had been twice deported.
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The Michaels are “angel parents,” a relatively new term that describes the relatives of people killed by illegal immigrants. When the crash happened, the Michaels’ son was killed in a crash involving a twice-deported illegal immigrant driving without a driver’s license and registration. The man was sentenced to two years in prison and was deported again after serving his time. The Michaels felt let down by our government, which is why Kiyan Michael decided to run for office. Governor DeSantis endorsed Michael, and she won. Now she has sponsored this significant legislation to make a better Florida and country in honor of her son.
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The majority office explains what the bill does. First, it protects American jobs by requiring private employers with twenty-five or more employees to use E-Verify for new employees.
E-Verfiy is a free internet-based system for employers to verify that a newly hired employee is authorized to work in the United States. It doesn’t increase costs for businesses as businesses are already required to verify an employee’s eligibility to work. New employees must present documents to establish their identity. E-verify provides the company with proof that it did not knowingly hire an illegal immigrant.
Lastly, the bill provides twelve million dollars to the Division of Emergency Management for the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program.
This bill gives law enforcement the tools to keep communities safe by strengthening penalties for human traffickers by unreason penalties for the crime of human smuggling when it involves a minor, more than five people, or repeat offenders so that it is punishable by up to fifteen years in prison. It also requires people in custody because of immigration issues to submit DNA to the statewide DNA database.
This bill combats policies that incentive illegal immigration by invalidating driver’s licenses issued by another state to undocumented immigrants and prohibits local governments from funding community ID cards for anyone unlawfully in the country. It also removes the authority for unauthorized immigrants to be admitted to the Florida Bar.
Hospitals must now inquire about immigration status to identify the cost of illegal immigration to Florida’s healthcare system.
Democrat House members like Representative Antone feel this legislation is anti-immigration. They think that this won’t stop illegal immigration and that requiring DNA samples and asking for immigration status in hospitals will not stop illegal immigration. They also believe that stopping “dreamers” from becoming attorneys won’t stop it either. Representative Campbell described this bill as “fear-mongering.” He also feels that industries such as agriculture thrive because of illegal immigrants, and he says that eighty percent of the workers in that industry are illegal. It is unclear whether or not Campbell’s statement is true or not.
Our communities have experienced significant strains by the influx of illegal immigrants. This new law eases the burden on employers and employees in Florida because it protects job opportunities for Americans. Legal immigration is encouraged, and illegal immigration undermines the rule of law and must stop. As Representative Michael poignantly said during her presentation on the floor, “This law would have prevented the death of my son.”
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