These Republicans voted in favor of DeSantis’ draconian anti-immigration legislation. Now, undocumented workers are being asked not to leave Florida

Some of the state legislators who voted for Florida’s SB 1718, recently Gov. Signed by Ron DeSantis and set to take effect June 1, it urges migrant workers not to leave the state for fear of arrest by authorities and deportation. America.

At a gathering of religious leaders, immigrant rights activists and Republican lawmakers in Hialeah, South Florida, members of Congress tried to allay fears by pointing to a new law that would make the state tougher on immigration. It is aimed at new migrant workers, but not at those already employed.

Representative Rick Roth of the 85th District of the state House of Representatives told the gathering of about 160 people that SB 1718 has “loopholes” that could affect its implementation, especially for “temporary workers.” Exempted” and the new law is “specifically designed for employers” and not for workers.

Roth, a third-generation farmer, said affected or (perceived) victims should “check with their employers” about the law’s scope.

The state congressman pointed out that the bad news is that SB 1718 is “more political than law. It gives the police more powers than dealing with immigration,” and acknowledged that farmers are “very angry” because they are losing employees. Other states like Georgia.

“It’s very dangerous for agriculture. As NPR reports, we need more law enforcement, which will make it worse,” Roth warned.

Republican Congresswoman Alina Garcia, who attended the event with Roth and Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin, said, “This bill is a bill to scare people into the state of Florida.”

Activists who attended the meeting said they were “angry” and “concerned” not only about the enactment of SB 1718 on May 10, but also about statements made by congressmen.

“It’s shocking that (Republicans) are admitting that they created (SB 1718) for political reasons and that the intent is to intimidate immigrants,” said Maria Asuncion Bilbao, campaign coordinator for the American Friends Service Group (AFSC). He attended a meeting called by religious leaders.

Bilbao added, “It’s disgusting that when they (religious leaders) returned to their congregations, they told their people (parishioners) not to leave Florida because the agribusiness people were angry with the workers they were leaving”.

In his speech, state Congressman Roth pledged that the Personal Information Collection Act (SB 1718) would specifically address Medicaid hospitals.

“I wonder,” Bilbao added, “when the police pull you over with a broken light on your car, can those pastors do anything to get them out of the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jails?” ?”

No answers yet.

The new Florida immigration law SB 1718, among other measures, requires companies with 25 or more employees to use the federal E-Verify program to verify the immigration status of their workers, and requires hospitals to collect and share the immigration status of its patients. $12 million to relocate undocumented immigrants to other states.

One of the most controversial provisions of the law, however, makes it a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison to transport people without formalized immigration status to Florida.

DeSantis described “illegal” immigrants as non-citizens who are not only in the United States without authorization from the federal government, but who have come to the southern border seeking asylum and show fear or credible fear of deportation. They were prosecuted, had their cases referred to immigration court, and then released under the Alternative Detention Program (ATD).

Lawyers consulted by Univision News reiterate that they are not in the country illegally and that they were released under federal supervision (on bail or electronic shackles) to determine their future in the United States.

• makes it a crime to use a false identity to obtain work eligibility;
• An employer who violates the e-verification requirements four times in a 24-hour period allows the business license to be revoked or face substantial fines.
• limiting employment opportunities for those with undocumented immigration status;
• Hospitals that accept Medicaid and emergency departments must collect data on the immigration status of patients when they visit the emergency room, and regularly report to the AHCA and the Legislature the cost of care provided to patients without standardized immigration status.
• Florida makes it a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison to transport people without formalized immigration status into the state. This includes charging you with a crime for returning to the state of Florida while you are a permanent resident. Summary of the bill “Establishes criminal penalties for persons who knowingly and willfully violate, or reasonably knowingly violate, certain provisions relating to the transportation of persons who have entered this state illegally and without inspection by the federal government.” ;
• Penalizes entering the state for tourism or business meetings with friends, colleagues or relatives without regular immigration status;
• Prohibits funding of community identification programs at the city and county level;
• 16 states and the District of Columbia invalidate driver’s licenses legally issued to drivers without legal immigration status;
• Repeals a law allowing lawyers to practice law who still regulate their immigration status; And
• Law enforcement agencies are required to collect DNA samples from people who have not obtained regularized immigration status and who are detained under federal custody requests.