Hundreds of people marched this weekend in the city of Homestead, in South Florida, to protest against the SB 1718 law, which came into force this Saturday, July 1, and which contemplates, among other things, penalties of up to 15 years in prison for transferring an undocumented immigrant to Florida.
Lucía Quié was among the protesters and came with a large sign that read “Our economy depends on immigrants.” She left Guatemala more than 20 years ago in search of a better life in the United States. She has two daughters, works in the fields and has no papers. She admits to being “scared” by this new legislation and calls on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, to back down to invalidate the measure.
“I hope that Ron DeSantis repents, that he opens his eyes, his mind and his brain to help us because we do pay taxes and make a difference,” he stresses, defending that “without tourism, construction and agriculture, Florida will not would exist”.
The same day that the law went into effect, several groups that fight for the rights of immigrants in the United States announced that they are already working to file a lawsuit to block this legislation.
In a press release sent to the voice of america it is alleged that “the discriminatory law against immigrants poses a threat to the rights and well-being of every individual in the state.”
The lawsuit, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice, the American Immigration Council and the Southern Poverty Law Center, “will be filed against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on behalf of multiple individuals and the Florida Farmworkers Association, an immigrant rights organization that focuses on social, political, economic, labor, health, and environmental justice with and for farmworkers, arguing that the law not only violates the fundamental rights of people in the state, but rather undermines the cultural richness and economic contributions of immigrants.”
“The last thing to lose is hope and we have faith that our community can defend their rights in court,” said Rosa Elera, spokeswoman for the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC).
Many of them consider this to be a political strategy by the governor in the face of the 2024 elections. A few weeks ago, DeSantis confirmed that he aspired to be the Republican Party’s presidential candidate along with other candidates such as former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence or the mayor of the city of Miami, Francis Suárez, among others.
“It is a political game between the same politicians and they grab us in the hood. And that is not valid because we are living with great stress, with a lot of fear and it is not fair that he is causing this panic among our community,” said Antonia Catalán, an activist with the organization “I am powerful!”, which helps migrant women from the United States to fight for their rights.
Businesses with more than 25 employees in Florida will now be required to use the E-Verify system to verify the legal status of new workers they hire or else risk a $1,000-per-day fine.
The law also requires hospitals to report undocumented patients they treat to the Florida government on a quarterly basis. DeSantis clarified that this point is intended to account for public resources that are allocated to undocumented immigrants.
On the other hand, it also invalidates identification cards and driver’s licenses from other states. Elsewhere in the United States, driver’s licenses are issued to people who do not have legal status in the country, allowing them to drive a vehicle anywhere in the country. From now on, the only valid license will be Florida.
And, as mentioned above, the point that has caused the most indignation is the one that contemplates prison sentences for transferring undocumented immigrants to Florida. Up to 15 years in prison are contemplated if the undocumented person is a minor and 5 if he is over 18 years of age.
“I have been in this country since 1988 and I do not owe the government anything because I have been declaring taxes and I am not a burden to this country. That is what you have to focus on, that we maintain the state”, said the Mexican José Delgado.
DeSantis defends the law to fight human trafficking
The governor of Florida, however, insists that this measure is aimed at fighting human trafficking and curbing migratory flows caused, according to him, by the White House’s policies on the southern border with Mexico.
“We must further strengthen our laws against illegal immigration by improving employment verification, increasing penalties for human smuggling, and further discouraging illegal migration to the state of Florida,” DeSantis declared, stressing that “Florida is not a sanctuary state.” and that his government will defend “the rule of law.”
DeSantis, one of the main contenders in the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination led by former President Donald Trump, has made border security a focus of his campaign, accusing the administration of President Joe Biden of lax immigration policies.
“It’s been a huge dereliction by the president,” DeSantis said in a meeting with law enforcement officers in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near the US-Mexico border.
It is not the only time. The Biden administration has been under fire from Republicans, who allege that the White House maintains an “open borders” policy, referring to the incessant arrival of irregular migrants across the southern border.
The White House believes that these measures “do not solve the problem, they create it”
Officials in the Joe Biden administration have criticized the immigration policies and views coming from Governor DeSantis and others. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking to reporters in January, said DeSantis “is not trying to fix the problem, he’s really creating a problem.”
The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, has defended in Miami the achievements of the humanitarian parole program for Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, which is the subject of a lawsuit filed by some twenty states, including Florida.
“This is the model that we have built and will continue to build so that our principle of humanitarian aid is achievable in a safe and orderly manner. That way people don’t have to risk their lives in the hands of those who only seek to exploit them for profit,” Mayorkas said at a press conference in January from Little Haiti, a Miami neighborhood with a high population of Haitian nationals.
More than 700,000 undocumented immigrants affected
It is estimated that the measure could affect more than 770,000 immigrants without legal documents living in Florida, according to data from the Immigration Policy Institute.
24% of the population works in construction, 17% in the field and administration, 15% in the hospitality sector and 9% in retail trade.
Another report from the Florida Policy Institute concludes that if the state runs out of undocumented immigrants, it would deal a severe blow to the state’s economy as more than 12.6 billion dollars would be lost, that is, 1.1%.
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