What Does Florida's SB 1718 Bill Involve?

SB 1718 is a bill introduced in the Florida Legislature in March. If passed, it would confirm the fears expressed by immigrant rights groups: that Florida could become the state with the toughest immigration law or laws in the United States.

SB 1718 proposes criminalizing undocumented presence and would affect all Florida residents, "not just those who open their home, business, vehicle, or place of worship to a broad category of immigrants," pro-immigrant organizations warn. It prohibits undocumented immigrants from using valid out-of-state driver's licenses, requires hospitals to collect information about patients' immigration status and submit quarterly reports, and changes the rules for sharing information about undocumented patients. The bill also increases fines for employing undocumented immigrants, imposes harsher penalties on repeat offenders for illegal hiring, sets severe prison sentences for foreign nationals who knowingly use false documentation, mandates the use of the federal E-Verify program, and establishes random audits of businesses to verify E-Verify compliance. SB 1718 threatens to permanently revoke the operating licenses of businesses that repeatedly hire undocumented workers and bars undocumented individuals from practicing law (including DACA-protected Dreamers). It sets fines and prison sentences for anyone who transports undocumented immigrants (it does not address how this would apply to mixed-status marriages) and criminalizes undocumented presence even though it is not currently a crime. The bill creates criminal penalties for anyone who welcomes a broad category of immigrants into their homes, businesses, vehicles, or places of worship, and authorizes county jail officials to collect DNA samples when an immigrant is detained and an ICE detainer is issued. Analysts estimate that the Legislature will vote on both measures in late May, at the end of the regular legislative session. We will keep watching for further news about this bill.