TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new laws cracking down on illegal immigration Thursday that are believed to be the country’s toughest.
“Guys, buckle up because this isn’t just window dressing,” DeSantis said Thursday. “We are getting to work. You are going to see a lot of things happening very quickly.”
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton and Danny Perez, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, joined DeSantis in Tallahassee for the bill signing.
The Florida Legislature passed the three bills in a special session.
SB-2C allocates almost $298.8 million for immigration enforcement with the following provisions:
- Creates a state board of immigration enforcement that is made up of the Florida Cabinet. All decisions must be approved unanimously.
- Sets up a grant program to help pay for law enforcement officers involved in Homeland Security immigration operations.
- Gives the Florida Department of Agriculture funding to hire additional law enforcement to support interdiction activities.
- Directs a new interdiction station to be built along the I-10 corridor in North Florida to curb illegal immigration activities.
- Pushes improved coordination between ICE and local law enforcement.
- Creates a state law enforcement council led by local law enforcement agencies.
- Keeps undocumented immigrants accused of crimes in jail, rather than allowing bail.
- Phases out DeSantis' immigrant transportation program, which flew migrants to Democratic states.
- Requires driver licenses to be compliant with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, and prohibits issuing a driver’s license or ID card to a person who is an undocumented immigrant.
- A student must be a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the country in order to get an out-of-state fee waiver to a Florida public college or university.
SB-4C requires the death sentence for any person who is an undocumented immigrant and is convicted of a capital felony, including murder, attempted murder or sexual battery of a minor under 12.
It also creates the crimes of illegal entry and illegal reentry in Florida statute, for people who enter the country by avoiding or eluding immigration officers.
The first offense is a first-degree misdemeanor. A person convicted of that faces a mandatory minimum prison term of nine months.
A second violation is a third-degree felony and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of one year and one day in prison.
A third or subsequent violation is a third-degree felony with a mandatory minimum prison term of two years.
SM-6C is a memorial urging the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training opportunities for immigration enforcement.
Updates to come.
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