Florida House Passes Bill To BAN All Sanctuary Cities In The State!

The New York Times commented on the bill:

In Florida, immigrants make up more than a fifth of the population, coming from places as diverse as Cuba, Haiti, Mexico and parts of South America. The Republicans who dominate state government have usually kept that carefully in mind.

In 2014, lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Legislature gave undocumented children in-state tuition at public colleges. A year earlier, the conservative State House voted to grant driver’s licenses to immigrants in the country illegally, though the governor ultimately rejected that policy.

But as the national political pendulum swings, so does the country’s largest presidential battleground state.

In a closely watched debate that has drawn attention across the country, Florida is set to adopt one of the strictest laws in the nation against so-called sanctuary cities and counties. The legislation, expected to be approved by the State Senate as early as Friday, would require local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and penalize public officials who fail to do so.

At play in Florida are Republican base politics under President Trump and the state’s new governor, Ron DeSantis, who ran as a Trump ally and staunch opponent of sanctuary cities even though most analysts agree Florida does not have any. Mr. Trump has talked about releasing migrants apprehended at the border to sanctuary cities run by his Democratic foes.

The law would require local governments to use their “best efforts” to support federal immigration law, including complying with requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain suspected undocumented immigrants held in local jails until ICE is able to pick them up. Any officials who violate the law could be suspended or removed from office — or, in the House version of the bill, fined up to $5,000 a day.

“This is about public safety,” said Senator Joe Gruters of Sarasota, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate and the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. “If you’re a hardworking illegal immigrant that is not breaking the law, you have nothing to worry about. If you want to be a criminal and be here illegally, my advice is to go to California or one of those other sanctuaries.”

Now that the bill has been passed by the House, it is very likely to get signed into by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ran his campaign for governor upon the promise of enforcing laws against illegal immigration. 

The Hill has more details about the bill being passed:

The GOP-led House voted 69-47 nearly along party lines to pass the measure Wednesday. A similar bill is currently in the state Senate as well.

The bill would also punish local governments for not complying with the ban with a fine of $5,000 for each day a sanctuary city policy is in place.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) already issued a statement telling people not to travel to Florida if the legislation becomes law, according to the Miami Herald.

“If Florida State Bill 168 and House Bill 527 pass, it would undermine local governments’ ability to protect the civil rights of their residents by forcing local officials to cooperate with ICE,” the ACLU said in a statement. “It would also put immigrants at risk of violence, potentially forcing victims and witnesses to stay silent for fear of deportation.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signaled during his campaign that he would sign legislation banning sanctuary cities should it reach his desk, and campaigned against illegal immigration.

              

          

The Miami Herald also commented:

The House’s bill builds in a rule that local government employees or elected officials who permit sanctuary-city policies may be suspended or removed from office. The proposal also includes fines of up to $5,000 for each day that a sanctuary-city policy is in place. Identical bills must pass both chambers before hitting the governor’s desk. In this case, differences will have to be negotiated and “bounced back” between the House and Senate until they come to an agreement on a piece of legislation.                                     

While the House has tried to pass a similar ban the last four years, it died in the Senate the last time around. But Gov. Ron DeSantis has made “sanctuary cities” a key talking point from the start of his campaign to swearing in, an element Gruters says was key.                                       

“That’s why this is moving forward,” Gruters said earlier this week. “It has opened up some doors that weren’t previously available.” 

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