Senate approves anti-illegal immigration bill: ‘We can no longer turn a blind eye’

Amber Jo Cooper contributed to this story.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – The Florida Senate approved an anti-illegal immigration reform package 27-10 Friday.

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, sponsored the legislation. A similar bill is working its way through the House.

The legislation considers changes to E-Verify, more money for an illegal immigration transportation program and increased penalties for human smuggling.

“We can no longer turn a blind eye to what’s happening. It is time for us, the state of Florida to step up and tell the federal government to fix this problem, because we are no longer standing for it,” Ingoglia said.

It includes $12 million from the general fund for an illegal immigration program that Gov. Ron DeSantis used to send migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

Under current law, E-verify is only mandated for public employers and their contractors. The bill would change the requirement to mandate employers with more than 25 employees use E-verify. Those with less than 25 employees would need to use the current I-9 process.

If the Department of Economic Opportunity finds that an employer did not use the E-Verify system, then the company could face a fine of $1,000 per day until the situation is resolved.

Patients would fill out an intake form asking whether they are legally in the United States or not. The answer would not change their ability to receive hospital services.

Hospitals that accept Medicaid would need to provide data on the number of illegal immigrants receiving hospital services and the amount of taxpayer dollars that was spent.

“It is just for data purposes for acquiring the data so we can get a handle on how much we’re spending in emergency rooms on undocumented immigrants,” Ingoglia said.

The act would also repeal state law that allowed an unauthorized immigrant who was brought to the U.S. as a minor to practice law in Florida. The bill would not affect the validity of any license to practice law before Nov. 1, 2028.

The legislation prohibits local governments from providing identification cards to illegal immigrants.

On top of this, the legislation enhances human smuggling penalties for those smuggling a minor, more than five people, or when the defendant has a prior conviction for human smuggling.

The analysis said it changes the state’s domestic security statutes to more easily help the federal government enforce federal immigration laws.

Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, opposed the bill in debate.

“Immigration is now preempted to the federal government and the things that are in this bill aren’t going to make one change at all in this state, other than have a chilling effect and be harmful and hurtful to our citizens. Florida is a place where immigrants find a new life and migration has made us into an economic powerhouse. But if this legislation is adopted, the damage will be horrendous,” Berman said.

Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, supported the bill and blamed the federal government.

“Because of the failures of the federal government […] we have human trafficking, we have sex trafficking, we have drug trafficking, we have terrorists crossing our borders, and we have all the consequences that go along with each of those problems,” Martin said.

“This bill does a few things that are very important. […] I’m tired of carrying the water for the federal government’s failures, this bill goes a long way – thank you Senator Ingoglia,” Martin said.