Florida Legislature passes GOP ban on sanctuary-city policies; DeSantis expected to sign into law
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Florida Legislature passed a high-profile Republican bill on Thursday banning sanctuary policies that protect undocumented immigrants and requiring law enforcement officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
The bill passed the House on a 68-45 vote with Democrats opposed, shortly after it cleared the Senate by a 22-18 mostly party-line vote, as the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.
“We are a stronger state when we protect our residents, foster safe communities and respect the work of law enforcement at every level,” DeSantis, a Republican, said in a statement.
The legislation would require local officials to honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers for undocumented immigrants who are arrested or convicted of a crime, exempting crime victims and witnesses. It would ban local governments from enacting sanctuary policies to protect those immigrants from deportation and require them to notify ICE when an inmate subject to a detainer is released.
No Florida city or county currently has a sanctuary policy. But Republicans said it would ensure respect for federal immigration laws by preventing local and state officials from refusing to comply. Under the bill, the governor could suspend officials who defy immigration laws and they could be sued by the attorney general to force compliance.
Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff, R-DeLand, told the Herald-Tribune: “This bill isn’t anti-immigrant and it’s dangerously disingenuous to suggest otherwise.”
“We are a nation of immigrants, proudly so,” Fetterhoff said. “But we are also a nation of laws.”
The bill was one of the most hotly-contested of this legislative session, with several versions bouncing between the House and Senate over the past two months. One provision that was stripped out would have subjected officials who defy immigration laws to steep fines. Another section that was dropped would have exempted the Department of Children and Families from its requirements.
It sparked protests around the state and led the American Civil Liberties Union to warn immigrants against traveling to Florida. It also is expected to lead to lawsuits seeking to nullify it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Florida will remain safe.
Glad to hear there is sanity in some states...
One of my favorites to visit as well
The whole idea of sanctuary cities is absurd. Good for Florida
Mother Of MS-13 Victim Killed At Memorial
Who are these Floridians that want criminals to stay in their state?
Good. Who wants criminals traveling to their state?
Another outstanding victory over a problem that does not exist in Florida !!
Way to go ! Great News !!!
"Two teens arrested last week on charges stemming from a horrific killing in Maryland were supposed to be deported last year, but local authorities didn’t turn them over to ICE, the immigration agency said Tuesday.
Prosecutors say the teens, Josue Rafael Fuentes-Ponce , 16, and Joel Ernesto Escobar, 17 — suspected of being MS-13 gang members — feared they would be ratted out for an April robbery, so they and an accomplice snuffed out a 14-year-old suspected snitch. They made her strip before beating her with a baseball bat and chopping her with a machete.
The girl’s body was found in a creek this month.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a pointed statement Tuesday, said the crime could have been averted but for Prince George’s County’s sanctuary city policy.
Mr. Fuentes-Ponce and Mr. Escobar were in county custody last year on attempted murder charges for another crime. ICE placed a detainer on them, asking to be notified when they would be released so agents could deport them.
ICE said the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections defied the request."