TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WLFA) — After three consecutive special sessions on illegal immigration and a bill to crack down on the issue, Florida lawmakers say those efforts are not over.
Not only is Gov. Ron DeSantis moving forward these efforts, Congress still brings bills on the issue.
In the final special session on illegal immigration, the key discussion among lawmakers was e-verify. Looking at ways to strengthen the process of verifying the citizenship of workers here in the state, the conflict only continued when approaching normal sessions.
A few weeks ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state legislature passed what they called the country’s “tested” immigration bill. However, efforts to address immigration will only continue at the state capitol.
Not just one, not two, but three state lawmakers have so far been targeting the federal program e-Verify.
“If you’re hiring someone, you need to do them through the system to make sure they can work legally in our state and our country,” said President Barney Jack (R-Seminole).
Currently, Florida law requires businesses with at least 25 employees to check the status of workers’ citizenship. Representative Jacques aims to expand this to use e-Verify for all employers.
“We just passed the most powerful violations and illegal immigration bill in our final special session, but we still have more work to do,” Rep. Jack said. “Florida is not an illegal alien destination. We’ll go elsewhere. In fact, leave our country.”
This is not the first effort we have seen on this issue this year. Democrats have introduced similar laws that enforce strict penalties, such as permanent revocation of business licenses, if they employ fraudulent workers.
“Essentially, if we have a system that allows for objectively large loopholes and gaps, we shouldn’t bash our hearts about being the toughest of illegal immigration in this country,” state Sen. Jason Pizo (D-Miami).
Senator Pizzo criticized Jack’s bill for calling it a toothless and instead promoted the bill he introduced last week.
“If it’s his own, that’s a good start. But let’s write down what we’re trying to translate and what it looks like, but if you don’t include enforcement or penalty provisions in the bill, you’re not serious,” Senator Pizzo said.
Pizzo adds that his bill actually has teeth and includes fines ranging from $10,000 to $5,000,000 based on violations, as well as fines that include temporary or permanent licence suspensions.
“I have heard he has moved the bill forward, and I hope he does it in good faith.
When asked about the similarity between Senator Pizzo and his bill, Jack said he was open to working with anyone at the Capitol to advance this effort.
“I welcome all partners. I’ll call anyone involved in this effort to make sure e-verify applies to all employers. There are no exceptions or excuses,” Rep. Jack said.
In addition to the list, Republican state Sen. Blaze Ingoglia recently introduced an illegal immigration law requiring all employers to use electronic testing on all employees.
With almost three identical bills and Democrats and Republicans working on the same issue, is there a chance they could join forces?
