LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Lake County commissioner aims to discuss the possibility of a local immigration law similar to Senate Bill 4-C.
Senate Bill 4-C, also known as the Unauthorized Aliens, Nationality, and Immigration Act, was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis back in February.
However, since then the law has faced an uphill legal battle.
Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini said Jacksonville recently created a similar local law, and he feels Lake County should be the next local government to do so.
“I don’t think we should have any illegal immigration in the state of Florida,” Sabatini said. “I think we should have zero illegals here.”
Senate Bill 4-C creates the crimes of illegal entry and illegal re-entry in Florida Statutes for people who enter the country by avoiding or eluding immigration officers.
But Senate Bill 4-C was put under a temporary restraining order (TRO) by a federal judge earlier this month. That same judge just extended the TRO and scheduled a second hearing for April 29.
Despite the legal turmoil, Sabatini said if they did create a local immigration ordinance, it would take effect once the federal court has cleared the way for a law like this.
“I think that’s good for the community because you’re having now people understand that citizenship matters,” Sabatini said. “Not anybody can just roll in here from a country across the world or in Central or South America and just automatically be given the same amount of rights as a normal American. I believe that citizenship matters, and we need to have laws that give citizens full rights and not the same rights as those who come illegally.”
The Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka is part of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, which is one of the groups that sued Florida over Senate Bill 4-C earlier this month. The Center’s Director of Community Organizing, Ericka N. Gomez-Tejeda, said it should be a priority to respect people regardless of where they come from or their immigration status.
“Decisions are being made by elected officials out of fear, not out of facts, and that’s really hurting our democracy in general,” Gomez-Tejeda said.
While Tuesday’s discussion over a possible immigration in Lake County is preliminary, Sabatini said it’s still important because he anticipates there will be a decision on whether or not they move forward with crafting an ordinance.
While Tuesday’s discussion over a local immigration ordinance here in Lake County is preliminary, Sabatini said it’s still important because he anticipates there will be decision on whether or not they move forward with crafting an ordinance.
Tuesday’s meeting is set to begin at 9 a.m. at the Lake County Administration Building in Tavares.
