Florida GOP Passes Bill Funding More Migrant Flights

Florida Republicans gave Gov. Ron DeSantis a win with the passage of a bill that aims to tackle illegal immigration and guarantees millions of dollars in funding for more migrant flights, according to Politico.

A frequent critic of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, DeSantis and his GOP allies in Tallahassee said the newly approved legislation will send the Biden administration a “message,” while Democrats contended that the bill was cruel and would intimidate migrants.

During debate over the measure, bill sponsor state Rep. Kiyan Michael, a Republican, recalled how her 21-year-old son was killed in a car accident by an illegal immigrant, while on his way to cash his paycheck at the bank.

“The price of illegal immigration cost us everything,” Michael, who was elected last year, said, according to Politico. “There is not an ounce of malice in my heart … I just want it to stop. It has to stop and it is insane if we are waiting on Washington, D.C. to do something.”

State Rep. Susan Valdes, a Democrat whose parents came to the U.S. from Cuba, countered that the bill “demonized marginalized people.”

“Immigrants are people just like us except they did not have the fortune to be in the United States,” Valdes said, according to Politico.

Under the new legislation, medium- and large-sized employers would be required to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of new hires and hospitals would be mandated to inquire about patients’ legal status.

S.B. 1718 would also ban illegal immigrants from driving a vehicle, even if they have a driver’s license from another state, and allow authorities to charge someone with human trafficking if they knowingly transport a migrant across state lines.

Lawmakers also earmarked $12 million in the bill for the DeSantis administration to send migrants from outside the state to Democrat-run cities and states.

Immigrants’ rights advocates and other groups decried the bill, with some calling it “racist” and threatening to mount a legal challenge.

“DeSantis’ political shenanigans will force every Floridian to pay a heavy price,” Paul Chavez, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, told Politico. “This bill will push hundreds of thousands of people into the shadows, including U.S. citizens, putting freedom and even our state’s economy at risk. … This cruel and misguided effort will negatively impact public safety and public health and cause harm to all Floridians.”

On the other side of the aisle, Republicans lauded the legislation.

State Rep. Berny Jacques, a Republican who came from Haiti as a child, told Democrats he wished they “had the same energy” when it came to defending American citizens.

“This bill protects our citizens,” Jacques said, according to Politico. “This bill protects the people who are here legally and did it the right way. People like my family.”