Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday a series of new legislative actions that his administration is proposing to combat President Joe Biden’s illegal immigration crisis.
The new legislative proposal has a very high chance of passing thanks to the supermajorities that Republicans have in both chambers of the state legislature, as well as DeSantis’ popularity in the state.
The extensive legislative proposal increases penalties for human smuggling, strengthens statutes for the detention of illegal aliens, requires universal use of E-Verify, enhances penalties for document falsification, and prohibits the issuance by local governments of ID cards to people who are not lawfully in the country, the governor’s office said.
“This country is unable to control its own borders,” DeSantis said during a press conference where he unveiled the proposal. “We’ve seen millions of people come across illegally over the last two plus years. We’ve seen China, our number-one adversary, fly a spy balloon clear over the continental United States with impunity and basically humiliate our country in the process.”
The full legislative proposal includes the following penalty enhancements to combat the smuggling of illegal aliens:
3rd degree felony to knowingly transport, conceal, or harbor illegal aliens — punishable by 5 years in prison.
2nd degree felony when the illegal alien is a minor — punishable by 15 years in prison.
Transported individuals will be detained by law enforcement as material witnesses.
A person charged with these offenses will not be released from jail until their first appearance.
The proposal requires all employers in the state of Florida to use E-Verify and allows the state to revoke a business’ license if the employer has two violations within a 24-month period. The proposal also makes it a felony to use false identification to obtain eligibility.
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