Immigrant Rights

In a sharp rebuke to legislation currently poised for the 2018 legislative session that would wrest control from local governments on immigration policies, state Senator Annette Taddeo on Tuesday announced her intentions to rally support against HB9/SB308: Federal Immigration Enforcement.
“I have always believed in treating our immigrant community with dignity and respect,” said Senator Taddeo. “Immigrants are what make our country great. This bill would only terrorize our communities and put unwarranted responsibilities on our local law enforcement professionals. I condemn this bill and stand with our immigrant communities.”
The proposed bills would force local governments to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in ways that are not required by federal law. The measures would also force outrageous penalties on non-compliant municipalities and would grant the state government authority to strip an elected official from office. Bills remarkably similar to this one have been successfully challenged in court and would only cost taxpayers and embarrass the State of Florida if passed, Senator Taddeo added.
Promising to work with her colleagues in the Florida Legislature to call attention to the egregious nature of these bills, Senator Taddeo noted that Florida’s history has been defined by people migrating to our state and achieving greatness. “It is going to take all of our leaders on both sides of the aisle to be an example to the rest of the country on what it means to champion our immigrant communities,” she said.