Two significant legislation that stiffen punishments for undocumented immigrants found residing in Florida if they are found guilty of other crimes were signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Friday.
The new legislation increase the potential prison terms and penalties for undocumented immigrants convicted of felonies after they were previously removed from the nation for unlawful immigration, as well as for undocumented immigrants found driving without a license.
DeSantis issued a statement saying, “We do not tolerate illegal immigration, let alone lawlessness committed by illegal aliens who shouldn’t have been here in the first place. The bills I signed [Friday] further enhance Florida’s capabilities to uphold the law.”
The maximum term of 60 days for those found guilty of driving without a license at least twice has been increased to up to a year in jail.
Both legal and non-legal immigrants in the United States are subject to the same laws; however, illegal immigrants are not permitted to apply for a driver’s license in Florida.
The other new law raises the maximum penalty for felonies committed by undocumented immigrants for which they were previously deported.
For instance, an unauthorized immigrant in Florida may be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail rather than the standard five years for a typical burglary or auto theft.
More violent offenses such as aggravated battery may now result in punishments of 30 years in jail rather than 15 years, and armed robbery may now result in life terms for undocumented immigrants rather than a maximum of 30 years.
“If you have been deported and you come to this state and enter our state and you are here illegally and you commit crimes, we are throwing the book at you, and you are going to regret coming to the state of Florida,”DeSantis stated in a press conference.
This action is being taken as Florida gets ready for a potential wave of undocumented immigrants driven by the worsening conditions in Haiti.
The immigrants’ nearest U.S. state to Haiti would be Florida, more than 700 miles away by sea.
In an earlier order on Wednesday, DeSantis directed state resources—such as the Florida State Guard, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and state law enforcement agencies—to deploy more than 250 cops and soldiers to Florida’s southern shore in order to thwart the potential influx.
