Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a legislative package on immigration that will begin to take effect on July 1st. The legislation, SB1718 targets undocumented immigrants in the state, and is meant to discourage immigration into Florida. The Miami Herald found the law has created a climate of fear among undocumented workers in the state, as well as among employers.
Here are the main aspects of the new law:
▪ People are barred from driving if their driver license is issued by another state that provides them to undocumented immigrants.
▪ It will be more difficult for nonresident undocumented immigrants to apply for Florida driver licenses.
▪ It will be a third-degree felony for an unauthorized immigrant to knowingly use a false identification document, or to fraudulently use an identification document of another person, to obtain employment.
▪ People in the custody of a law enforcement agency and subject to an immigration detainer will have to submit a DNA sample.
▪ Hospitals that accept Medicaid will be required to include a question on registration forms asking about a patient’s immigration status. Hospitals must submit quarterly reports to the state’s healthcare agency.
▪ The new law facilitates cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agencies.
▪ Private employers with 25 or more workers must use E-Verify, a federal website that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of employees to work in the U.S. Beginning in July 2024, employers who do not comply with the E-Verify system can be penalized.
▪ Beginning in 2028, the law will not allow unauthorized immigrants to be admitted to the Florida Bar.
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(Miami Herald staff writer Omar Rodriguez Ortiz contributed to this story)
