After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference in Jacksonville to address the “Biden Border Crisis” that has affected Florida, State Senator Blaise Ingoglia was tasked to help frame tough legislation that would spearhead DeSantis's immigration agenda.
Sen. Ingoglia, who caught a ride with Gov. DeSantis to the Jacksonville event, spoke to The Floridian this week to discuss his SB 1718 pro-legal immigration measure that has triggered opposition groups.
The Florida Immigration Coalition called Ingoglia’s and Rep. Kiyan Michael’s mirroring immigration bills, “almost word-for-word the anti-immigrant package” Gov. DeSantis announced.
“These bills will harm our diverse communities and criminalize any Floridian who opens their home, business, vehicle or place of worship to a broad category of immigrants. DeSantis and his legislature are leading the way in turning back the clock on human rights and descending us into a truly draconian state where residents live in fear of a government that overreaches into every corner of their lives,” stated The Florida Immigration Coalition in a press release.
"Anyone who comes out against this bill is pro-illegal immigration and pro-open borders. What this bill does, it's a comprehensive state-lead anti-Immigration bill that, quite frankly should be the gold standard for other states,” said Sen. Ingoglia.
Ingoglia appears to hold hope that his immigration bill could force the federal government “into fixing the problem that they're creating and festering .”
“We are a border state,” added Ingoglia before placing the border crisis blame on President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Florida Lawmaker @GovGoneWild Files "Gold Standard" Anti-Illegal Immigration Bill. @GovRonDeSantis Addressing "Biden Border Crisis"
READ MORE: https://t.co/tbZKr5rYM3#FlPol #Florida #BorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/SHKL8deWx8
— The Floridian (@Floridianpress) March 9, 2023
The bills Ingoglia and Michael introduce are the toughest immigration bills introduced to date, cracking down on businesses that purposely hire illegal immigrants.
Here is what the bills call for:
—Prohibiting counties and municipalities, respectively, from providing funds to any person, entity, or organization to issue identification documents to an individual who does not provide proof of lawful presence in the United States
—Specifying that certain driver licenses and permits issued by other states exclusively to unauthorized immigrants are not valid in this state.
—Requiring certain hospitals to collect patient immigration status data information on admission or registration forms.
—Increasing the maximum fine that may be imposed for a first violation of specified provisions relating to employing, hiring, recruiting, or referring aliens for private or public employment, etc.
Gov. DeSantis, like most Republican elected officials around the nation, have continuously expressed their disapproval with how the 'Biden Administration has handled the influx of illegal immigrants since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
DeSantis has called the epic migration into the U.S. an "unmitigated disaster" that has led to the deaths of over 100,000 Americans from fentanyl overdoses.
“Since Biden and Kamala Harris took office, America’s southern border has been an unmitigated disaster: Crime, drugs, and human trafficking are pouring over our border every single day,” said DeSantis. “More than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses this year – but Biden and Harris seem content to sit back and leave everyday Americans to fend for themselves."
