Thread: FL Immigration bill revised to ease enforcement

Immigration bill revised to ease enforcement
.A controversial immigration proposal was revised at a sometimes tense Senate meeting.
By Patricia Mazzei
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
Tallahassee -- A Florida Senate panel tinkered with a contentious immigration proposal Monday, speeding through a hearing on the bill without allowing most immigration advocates who had traveled to the Capitol in protest to speak.

The changes made by the Senate Judiciary Committee eased the requirements on local law enforcement to try to enforce federal immigration laws. Opponents of the bill had likened the mandates to an immigration crackdown in Arizona, which they say opened to door to racial profiling.

More than 100 activists, immigrants and their young children from Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Pasco counties packed the meeting to testify against the bill by Sen. Anitere Flores, a Miami Republican.

In its original form, the proposal would have mandated that the Florida Department of Corrections, Department of Law Enforcement and local sheriff departments try to enter into agreements with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enforce federal immigration laws.

On Monday, senators adopted an amendment put forth by Sen. Arthenia Joyner, a Tampa Democrat, to no longer require the agreements if state and local law enforcement deem them to be feasible. Instead, the departments will have to study the additional workload and expense that would be created by entering into the agreements.

They also changed the bill to clarify alternatives employers would have to using the federal government’s e-Verify system to check the immigration status of prospective employees.

Subhash Kateel of the Florida Immigrant Coalition called the changes “a step in the right directionâ€

"which they say opened to door to racial profiling. "

So what if it profiles ?

They know most illegals are hispanic , thats why they scream so loud
about this issue

I find it interesting that it is always racial profiling against Hispanics but never against Haitians and other illegals from the Carribean. In Florida we have alot of them as well.

urging her to hear their please and reminding her in Spanish that she is Hispanic.

The problem lies right there in those words. We have Hispanic politicians that want to cater to their own kind no matter what it may effect. They are suppose to represent the nation as a whole, NOT THE SPECIAL PEOPLE. And the special people being mostly ILLEGALS.

opened to door to racial profiling.

I am sick to death of this same old song and dance. Arrest them and deport them and end of story.