On Wednesday, lawmakers in Florida passed a number of harsh immigration laws, one of which included a contentious clause requiring undocumented immigrants convicted of first-degree murder or child rape to be executed.
Bills HB 3C and SB 4-C, which likewise penalize the act of undocumented immigrants over the age of 18 “knowingly” entering Florida after avoiding a federal immigration check, contain the death penalty provision.
Repeat offenders would be charged with a felony with a minimum term of one year and one day in prison, while first-time offenders would receive a sentence of nine months in jail.
The Senate committee passed its version of the bill by an 11-7 vote, while the Republican-controlled House Budget Committee adopted the House version by a 22-8 party-line vote.
The proposals are a component of a larger legislation package that aims to improve Florida’s attempts to enforce immigration laws. The creation of a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, which would be made up of the governor, agricultural commissioner, attorney general, and state chief financial officer, is another important proposal (HB 1C and SB 2-C).
In order to support immigration enforcement, the board would work with federal authorities and provide $250 million in grants to local law enforcement organizations. The board would need unanimous consent to make decisions.
Eliminating in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrant students at Florida colleges and universities is one of the legislation’s most controversial elements. Critics contend that current students pursuing degrees would suffer as a result of this measure.
After the TRUMP Act discussion, tensions between Republican lawmakers and Governor Ron DeSantis have been simmering. The governor first convened a meeting to discuss illegal immigration and other matters, but he and the legislative leaders disagreed on how to proceed.
House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton abruptly interrupted DeSantis’ special session last month and began their own, passing a bill that would have given the state’s agriculture commissioner more authority over immigration enforcement.
DeSantis said that the bill would jeopardize Florida’s efforts to fight illegal immigration and threatened to veto it. In an interview, DeSantis claimed that although the law purports to be an enforcement bill, it actually weakens Florida.
It transfers all of the authority now held by the governor and state agencies battling illegal immigration to the Commissioner of Agriculture. The people of Florida do not want this.
But earlier this week, following weeks of public disagreement, Republican leaders and Governor Ron DeSantis came to an agreement, and the Florida Legislature announced it will hold a special session on Tuesday to discuss immigration enforcement.
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Governor DeSantis commended the action on social media after Florida Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez jointly released a proclamation requesting the extraordinary session.
“I’m pleased to see the Florida legislature returning to special session and considering a package of legislation that, if enacted, will make Florida the strongest in the nation in combating illegal immigration and assist the Trump Administration in fulfilling its mandate to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all,” DeSantis stated in a video that was uploaded to X.
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The Florida Legislature provided a summary of the proposed legislation, which includes a number of broad measures intended to strengthen enforcement efforts and crack down on illegal immigration. Important clauses consist of:
- State Immigration Enforcement Council: Establishing a council with four police chiefs and four sheriffs. The governor, attorney general, chief financial officer, and agricultural commissioner will pick the police chiefs, while the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House will appoint the sheriffs.
- Stronger Crime Penalties: Increased punishments for crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants, including the mandatory death penalty for murder and child rape.
- State-Level Immigration Crimes: Creating offenses at the state level for entering or returning to Florida illegally.
- $250 million in funding will be made available to law enforcement organizations to help them with their immigration-related initiatives.
- Voting restrictions include filing felony charges against undocumented immigrants who cast ballots and against anyone who helps them do so.
- ICE Reporting Requirements: requiring county jails to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the immigration status of their inmates.
- Changes to In-State Tuition: Students who are neither citizens or legal residents of the United States will no longer be eligible for in-state tuition.
- To encourage Floridians to work for law enforcement, incentives should be established.
- Federal Partnership: Strengthening the state’s immigration enforcement cooperation with the federal government.
The proposed laws, if approved, would place Florida in line with the Trump administration’s objectives and make it one of the most authoritarian states when it comes to illegal immigration.