Florida toughens its law against illegal immigration
Sylvie Claire / May 12, 2023
Florida on Wednesday passed a law toughening its legislative arsenal against illegal immigration, under the impetus of its Republican governor Ron DeSantis, considered among the favorites for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
DeSantis signed the legislation at an event in the northeastern city of Jacksonville, with the slogan, "Biden's Border Crisis" on his lectern.
The governor is accusing the Democratic president of failing to address illegal immigration as the U.S. prepares for an influx of migrants at its border with Mexico, ahead of Thursday night's lifting of a health measure that has locked down access to the country since the pandemic began.
Biden's border crisis has created chaos across the United States and put Americans at risk," said a statement from Ron DeSantis, who appears ready to enter the race for the White House, although he has not made his candidacy official.
The law will come into effect on July 1.
In particular, it will require hospitals that accept public Medicaid insurance to collect data on their patients' immigration status, which could lead to undocumented immigrants not receiving treatment, critics say.
In addition, transporting undocumented persons from another U.S. state to Florida will be punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Ron DeSantis, 44, a rising figure on the American right, has promoted a very conservative agenda in recent months on issues related to education, immigration and abortion rights.