On Monday, June 5th, three Florida State Representatives held an informational meeting in Hileah regarding the “implications” of SB 1718, the anti-illegal immigration bill Governor DeSantis signed into law. Republican Representatives Rick Roth and Alina Garcia seem to have mixed feelings regarding the law, even though they voted to support it.
According to Business Insider, Roth said ;
The bill came straight from Gov. Ron DeSantis, and said legislators couldn’t amend it. It was take it or leave it. So most people decided in the legislature that we were distraught with the chaos across the southern border and voted for it.
Rep Garcia had this to say to Business Insider;
The bill was meant to scare people from traveling to Florida but added that it really doesn’t have any teeth.
According to a DeSantis spokesperson and the Republican Senator Blaise Ingolia, who sponsored SB 1718, the representatives are incorrect.
DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern told Business Insider;
“This bill has teeth, and businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens over Floridians are jeopardizing their licenses,” he said. “We encourage business owners not to roll the dice and test the governor’s commitment to uphold the law.”
According to Florida Politics, Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, who carried the bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed, said that Roth and Garcia appear misinformed. The new law penalizes anyone who “knowingly” hires an illegal immigrant, even if it’s just one, and regardless of when they were hired.
Roth spoke with Florida Jolt to explain how he sees the new laws. He says, first and foremost, that he is completely opposed to illegal immigration. He voted for the bill. He believes there is much misinformation about the laws, and people are being scared off. He wants a press release explaining what the bill does and does not do so that people currently residing in Florida do not just leave out of fear. He is particularly concerned about this because he is a farmer. Roth hires non-citizens and nonresidents to work during the season through the H2a program, which allows farmers to hire migrants during the produce season. When the season is over, the migrants go back home for two months a year. This has been legal for years and will continue to be legal. He wants to see a federal law passed to allow non-citizens to work year-round because specific industries need more employees, though he does not believe this should be used as a path to citizenship.
Roth says he’s trying to mitigate the situation;
“E-verify is only what’s going forward starting July 1st. It has nothing to do with people currently employed. Nobody is going back and looking at people already here. This law intends to deter illegals from coming here, not to scare those already living here. This bill was written carefully. It has teeth, but actual enforcement doesn’t occur until 2024.”
In Roth’s opinion, this bill was primarily written to help the crisis at the border. Roth says that for the first year of this law, employers who hire illegals will be given probation. Beyond that period, it will eventually be just a fine, and that’s when it will get serious. The point is to provide people and employers time to adjust, but the law is serious and designed to ensure that illegal immigrants will not come to Florida, which is the point of the law.
Right now, Roth says that the problem is that people are so concerned about the misinformation that, for example, if four people in a family live in Florida, two are legal, and two are illegal, all are leaving, meaning many industries are left short-handed, although there isn’t any data available to support his view.
Roth reiterated that he believes laws need to pass federally to make illegal workers able to be legal workers. It’s not a pathway to citizenship, but they could work here.
Roth is currently running for chair of the local Republican Party of Palm Beach County. Roth has opponents for this race, Pastor Lydia Maldonado, former local party Vice Chair Tami Donnally, former school board candidate Angelique Contreras, and interim chair Kevin Neal.
Lydia Maldonado sent Florida Jolt the video of Roth speaking in Hialeah. When asked for a comment on this article, she didn’t respond.
Tami Donnally was asked for a comment on illegal immigration and the DeSantis bill that was signed into law. She said;
I support the legislation, and I support our Governor. Legislation that is designed to make Florida a safer state should be applauded. ~Tami Donnally
Angelique Contreras said;
“I will always stand firm on conservative principles! I come from a family of immigrants, and I support immigration that encourages the American Dream to be accessible to all law-abiding immigrants and people who seek to come to America legally. Legislation such as SB 1718 allows our state to lead the nation in cracking down on illegal immigration and the disaster the Biden administration has created!”
Kevin Neal said, “No comment.”
The race for the local party chair is going to be a doozy. On a lighter note, Roth told Florida Jolt some positive news. His granddaughter, Raleigh Jean Roth, was born today, the same day as his son’s fortieth birthday. Congratulations, Representative Roth.
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