Florida’s newest anti-immigrant bill Undermines all Floridians’ Safety and Democracy, says LatinoJustice PRLDEF
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2025
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Florida’s newest anti-immigrant bill Undermines all Floridians’ Safety and Democracy, says LatinoJustice PRLDEF
HB1B Rushed Through Special Session, Undermining Legislative Process
Orlando, FL – Florida state legislators moved to pass a bill that would assign state officials and agencies to enforce federal immigration, through the special session that started Monday and was re-started today.
The bill, House Bill 1B, would establish the agriculture commissioner as the state's chief immigration officer and create a State Immigration Enforcement Council, a board of seven county sheriffs tasked with providing recommendations to the state and to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and would make voting by a noncitizen a third-degree felony.
The following statement can be attributed to Lourdes M. Rosado, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF:
“Giving responsibility for federal immigration enforcement to state law enforcement agencies and centralizing immigration enforcement power without adequate oversight, as Florida’s HB1B does, diverts resources needed to keep Floridians safe, and will lead many people in the state to distrust state and local law enforcement, making everyone less safe.
“Additional provisions in this legislation, which has been undemocratically rushed through approvals without adequate opportunity for community members to voice their concerns, would criminalize voter errors and needlessly tie driver’s licenses to citizenship, creating unnecessary barriers for our immigrant community. LatinoJustice PRLDEF urges state lawmakers to prioritize transparency, fairness, and inclusivity, and ensure policies that protect the rights and dignity of all Floridians.”
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For over 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org