by Daveda Gruber:
On Friday a controversial bill was signed into law, by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, to ban “sanctuary cities” in Florida.
The bill, which complies with a campaign promise by DeSantis, would mandate that counties cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The policy is expected to draw a legal clash over its constitutionality as it goes into effect next month.
In a statement given on Friday, DeSantis said, “I am proud to sign the bill presented to me by the Florida Legislature to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no city or county jurisdiction can get in the way of Florida’s cooperation with our federal partners to enforce immigration law.”
The statement went on to say, “This is about public safety, not about politics. We must do everything within our power, and use all the tools available to us, to ensure that our communities are safe.”
The bill, SB 168, requires local and state law enforcement officials and entities to honor federal “immigration detainer” requests. The requests ask law enforcement agencies to detain someone on probable cause that they are “removable” under federal immigration laws.
When put into law the bill would prohibit local officials from implementing “sanctuary” policies. That aspect of the law had not been defined previously. The law also gives the governor the authority to remove anyone if they do not comply with the law.
States and localities across the nation have ignored holding of prisoners who have a criminal record as directed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers.
At the new bill signing, DeSantis and several lawmakers touted the progress the Legislature made on several Republican issues during the session. More than 300 people were crowded into the room to show support for the governor and the new law.
Still, Florida is a state of my immigrants and not all residents of Florida have the same ideals. Should the ACLU and others sue, it would serve up another potential case for the nation’s courts to look at on this issue.
The ACLU of Florida tweeted:
Today, Gov. DeSantis signed the un-American SB 168 bill into law, a reckless expansion of state government and an affront to the democratic values we share. The law is anti-immigrant, unconstitutional, inhumane, and hurts our families and communities. https://t.co/TINM9hwvEx
— ACLU of Florida (@ACLUFL) June 14, 2019
Here are the states that are Anti-Sanctuary:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Mississippi
Missouri
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Here are the states that are Pro-Sanctuary:
California
Connecticut
Illinois
Massachusetts
New York
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington
See a report here:
