Florida’s Governor has a chance for another crackdown on illegal immigration this year, with a bill hitting his desk that cracks down on identification cards that have been used by some localities in the past.
HB 1451 bans “counties & municipalities, respectively, from accepting certain ID cards or documents that are knowingly issued to individuals who are not lawfully present” in the U.S.
The bill was sponsored by Republican Reps. Kiyan Michael and Berny Jacques in the House and ultimately was substituted for Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s “carbon copy” of that version in the Senate.
The bill deals with an isolated problem largely solved in Florida already. Various South Florida jurisdictions have accepted such identification in recent years, though those initiatives stopped being funded last Summer.
The House sponsors made a strong case for the legislation ahead of passage.
Jacques cited the “invasion” at the “open (Joe) Biden borders” and the need to “stop the scourge of illegal immigration,” noting that previous legislation and the Governor sending state forces to the Mexican border as emblematic of the state’s commitment.
“This bill was passed last year,” said Michael, who added that she was “just getting started” with legislation to crack down on illegal immigration. Her personal stake in this issue is well known; she had a son killed by an undocumented immigrant when George W. Bush was President.
It’s unlikely that Gov. DeSantis will veto this, meanwhile, and it is likely he will sign this at a press conference in Michael’s Jacksonville market, where he has brought his anti-illegal immigration events many times in the past. A recent visit to Duval County saw an announced Texas deployment for the reactivated Florida State Guard.
The Governor has also questioned the “entitlement” displayed by some undocumented immigrants.
“You see some of these images, you see some of these people in New York City committing crimes, and the sense of entitlement on some of these illegal aliens is unbelievable. They act like they have a right to illegally come into our country,” DeSantis said. “I’m sorry, you do not have that right.”
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