Ron DeSantis Pushes ‘Toughest’ Illegal Immigration Crackdown In Country With New Legislative Package

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has introduced a new legislative package to address the increasing problem of illegal immigration since President Joe Biden took office. The governor’s proposals have been dubbed the “toughest crackdown” on illegal immigration in recent memory, and they are expected to pass as the state legislature is Republican-controlled.

In February, DeSantis said, “With this legislation, Florida is continuing to crack down on the smuggling of illegal aliens, stopping municipalities from issuing ID cards to people here illegally, and ensuring that employers are hiring American citizens or those here legally. Florida is a law and order state, and we won’t turn a blind eye to the dangers of Biden’s Border Crisis. We will continue to take steps to protect Floridians from reckless federal open border policies.”

If passed, the legislation would classify knowingly transporting, concealing, or harboring illegal aliens as a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. If the illegal alien being transported or harbored is a minor, the offense would be upgraded to a second-degree felony, and the punishment could be up to 15 years in prison. The use of false identification to obtain employment would also be a felony, and all employers in the state would be required to verify the eligibility of employment using the E-Verify system.

The proposal also aims to disincentivize illegal immigration by restricting local governments from issuing ID cards to unauthorized aliens, invalidating out-of-state licenses issued to unauthorized aliens, mandating hospitals to record the immigration status of patients, banning unauthorized aliens from practicing law in the state, and closing a loophole that allows illegal aliens to be released from ICE detention. Furthermore, out-of-state tuition waivers would be banned for unauthorized aliens attending colleges and universities.

State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-District 11) praised Governor DeSantis for “having the courage to lead on this issue,” while State Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R-District 19) emphasized that the proposed measures are not meant to harm people who are in the country legally. “There’s a right way and a wrong way to come here,” she said. “We have a process in this country.”

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