Florida state legislator crafting Arizona-style immigration law
State Rep. Bill Snyder's district includes parts of northern Palm Beach County

John Lantigua, The Palm Beach Post

9:02 p.m. EST, January 3, 2011
The debate over the adoption of an Arizona-type immigration law for Florida is going on front burners statewide, and Palm Beach County will be one of the hot spots for that discussion.

On Friday night, state Rep. Bill Snyder, R-Stuart, will host a town meeting in Palm City to discuss a bill he plans to introduce to the legislature this spring. Snyder's district includes part of northern Palm Beach County.

"I expect it to be a forum where people will give me ideas for changes that might be appropriate for the bill," Snyder said on Monday. "It will be a place to express both support and opposition."

Snyder's measure unequivocally states its aims regarding the number of undocumented immigrants in Florida.

"The intent of this act is to make attrition through enforcement the public policy of all state and local government agencies in Florida," the bill states. "The provisions of this act are intended to work together to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States."

The bill contains many of the same controversial proposals included in Arizona Senate Bill 1070, which divided the nation last year.

It would allow state, county and local law enforcement officials to question the immigration status of anyone they stop in pursuit of their duties. It would allow those officials to detain anyone who is undocumented and hand them over to federal immigration authorities.

The bill also mandates that all Florida employers use the federal E-Verify computer system to determine the legal status of anyone they hire. It would revoke the business licenses of firms that repeat the offense of hiring illegal workers.

Such a move could have a severe impact on agriculture, one of Florida's most profitable industries. It also would affect construction, landscaping and restaurants, which traditionally have employed many undocumented workers.

Snyder's bill also makes it illegal for people not legally in the country to seek employment in any public place and for would-be employers to stop in those places to hire workers — a move that would seriously affect the numerous day labor sites around South Florida.

Undocumented immigrants arrested for criminal offenses would face enhanced penalties. For example, a person arrested for a third-degree felony would face penalties normally applied to perpetrators of second-degree felonies.

Snyder said he has received positive feedback on the bill.

"A theme I hear over and over again is that we are a country where there is rule of law, and people feel that when you have hundreds of thousands of people in the state ignoring the law of the land, it just doesn't feel right to them," he said.

The Martin County Republican Executive Committee is among the supporters.

"It provides a realistic enforcement method for the state," said Mark Klingensmith, the county GOP chairman.

Klingensmith said the county GOP is concerned about the extra costs that undocumented immigrants are causing in the local criminal justice and health care systems.

But Snyder said he also has heard from opponents of the bill.

"They are mostly concerned that the bill will result in racial profiling," he said.

In various places, the 29-page bill prohibits the use of racial and ethnic identifiers for enforcing the law. But opponents say they don't believe racial profiling can be avoided once the law is enacted, given the overwhelmingly Latin character of Florida's undocumented population.

"I'm not sure how he is going to make this work," said Manuel Guerra of Indiantown, a member of Students Working for Equal Rights, an immigrants' rights organization. "The issue of racial profiling will be very difficult to control. And a lot of people who have lived here for years, have committed no crimes and are hoping to someday win legal residence may end up being deported."

At least two other state legislators are expected to present similar legislation: Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa, and Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton.

After the Arizona legislature passed its law in April, the Obama administration challenged the law, saying the state was usurping the immigration-related duties of the federal government. A federal judge agreed and blocked parts of the law.

The case is currently before a U.S. Court of Appeals and is expected to go eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court. Snyder said the outcome of the Arizona case could influence where Florida goes with its legislation.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-b ... 3284.story