What would Florida’s harsh new Senate Bill SB 1617 mean for immigrants?

• What does Florida’s harsh new Senate Bill SB 1617 say?
• It’s the country’s toughest law against illegal immigration.
• Who does SB 1617 harm?

Bill SB17 heads to Ron DeSantis. The Florida House of Representatives approved last Tuesday a controversial bill that has already passed the state Senate. Among other things, it imposes penalties of up to 15 years in prison for those who transport illegal immigrants in Florida, as well as fines for employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

According to Univision, this new legislation would mean significant changes to E-Verify, the website the Department of Homeland Security uses to verify the immigration status of workers.

Penalties in Bill SB 1617 that would affect immigrants

The bill includes increased funds for a transportation program for undocumented immigrants and increasing penalties for people smuggling undocumented persons in the country. The law could affect millions.

Bill SB 1617 also prohibits the use of valid driver’s licenses from other states by undocumented immigrants. It requires hospitals to gather immigration status of patients and share that information with the state.

Jail sentences for foreigners who use false papers

The bill also increases fines for employing immigrants without papers and more severe punishment of repeat offenders. Likewise, the bill imposes jail sentences on those who use false papers.

There are also penalties for failing to make use of the federal E-Verify program and not carrying out random audits of companies to verify compliance with the use of E-Verify, which could result in the permanent loss of operating licenses for companies that are found to be repeat offenders.

Even more harsh policies

This bill also prohibits undocumented immigrants from practicing as lawyers, this includes those covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. There are also fines and jail terms for those who transport undocumented immigrants.

The invalidation of all out-of-state licenses for undocumented immigrants, no tuition waivers for undocumented students and increased penalties for human smuggling are also issues immigrants should consider.

Effects on companies, local economy and health care system

Finally, EFE Agency reports Kirk Bailey, political director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said, “Nearly 20 percent of Floridians are immigrants. A bill that directly harms a fifth part of our population has no place in our state. Simply put, this bill is shameful.”

Bailey added that the bill encourages racial profiling of a variety of Floridians and creates a “show me your papers” culture, as well as hurting businesses, the local economy and the public health system.