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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – All law enforcement agencies in Florida will have to cooperate with federal immigration authorities under a bill signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday during the day. A ceremony that would often look like a campaign rally for him and President Donald Trump.
The bill prohibits local governments from adopting "sanctuary" policies that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. Lawyers say the bill is politically motivated and point out that Florida has no sanctuary city. Law enforcement agencies will honor US detainees for undocumented immigrants who are arrested or convicted of a crime. It exempts victims and witnesses.
"The sanctuary cities essentially create law-free areas where people can come to our state and our country illegally, commit criminal offenses, then simply go out the door and continue to do so," said DeSantis. "In Florida, that will not happen."
On Saturday, President Trump congratulated the Florida governor for his gesture and criticized leaders of other states who "do not have the guts to do it," Fox News said in the tweet.
The bill was signed in the Okaloosa County Boardroom meeting room with an overflowing crowd dotted with red hats "Make America Great Again". Okaloosa, in the west of Panhandle, is one of the most conservative counties in the state. The crowd loudly applauded the bill and was just as strong at the mention of Trump.
Trump, who made illegal immigration a top priority, helped DeSantis win the GOP primary last year and campaigned for DeSantis in the general election. US Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, another close Trump ally and campaigning across the state for DeSantis, also spoke at the ceremony.
"It was more like a political rally than the signing of a bill," said Anna Eskamani, representative of the Democratic State, who followed the event on her phone. portable. She asked why it had occurred in Okaloosa, which does not have a large immigrant population. "It sounded more like:" I want politically supported people in the room ", as opposed to an environment in which advocates would protest outside, in-house advocates would protest, communities in the country would not be able to do so. immigrants would be heard. "
DeSantis also introduced Kiyan Michael from Jacksonville, whose son Brandon was hit and killed by a driver who was deported twice and illegally returned to the country.
"We are lucky to have the best president, we believe, since Ronald Reagan," she said as the crowd roared. "Our fight is not over.Our immigration laws must be reformed, they must be changed so that you do not all become us."
The bill provoked protests among immigrants and their supporters on Capitol Hill when it was before the legislature. They feared that this would encourage the profiling of law enforcement forces, force people to be deported for minor offenses, such as traffic offenses, and discourage victims of crime and other crimes. the witnesses to manifest themselves. Opponents also argued that detaining people on the basis of an immigration detainee was unconstitutional. Republican Senator Joe Gruters, who also chairs the Florida Republican Party, sponsored the bill and repeatedly stated that it was simply about respecting the rule of law.
When signing the bill, he said it was intended to "ensure the protection of US citizens from the very bad illegal foreign criminals who commit the worst crimes imaginable." 39, illegal aliens trying to provide for their families. "
Eskamani said the bill would affect immigrants far beyond those who committed violent crimes, and comments such as Gruter's made could increase resentment against immigrants and possibly provoke hate-motivated crimes.
"If you perpetuate this kind of rhetoric, when you get into political jokes, people are hurt, they are literally caught in the crossfire," she said.
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