TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Republicans are poised to bar the state from doing business with companies that bring undocumented immigrants into the state, a move that Democrats and faith leaders across the state worry will complicate the resettlement of unaccompanied minors who come to Florida to be reunified with their families.
The proposal — approved by the Senate on Thursday along party lines — seeks to cramp the flow of undocumented immigrants into the state by targeting companies that transport people who are “unlawfully” in the country into Florida. Unaccompanied migrant children, who under federal immigration law have “no lawful immigration status,” would be included, according to immigration attorneys.
“We are making decisions in a state that are going to affect a lot of people, including unaccompanied children,” said Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Miami. “We should not be passing a bill that is going to create more division, more hate and create two types of children, those who are accepted and those who are not.”
