Florida’s Anti-Immigration Crackdown Sets Stage for DeSantis’s Presidential Run

A sweeping anti-immigrant crackdown is underway in Florida by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is predicted to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination this week. SB 1718 is ready to take impact July 1, however has already led to walkouts by immigrant employees. It bans people who find themselves undocumented from utilizing driver’s licenses issued in different states, and prohibits state ID playing cards to be issued to them. It additionally requires hospitals that settle for Medicaid to ask about citizenship throughout consumption, and expands necessities for employers to make use of the federal E-Confirm system to test the immigration standing of their employees. “SB 1718 has been the harshest immigration invoice that we have now seen,” says Florida immigration legal professional Andrea Reyes. We additionally communicate with historian Geraldo Cadava, who says DeSantis’s insurance policies might not “translate nationally,” given Florida’s distinctive demographics and gerrymandered political system. Reyes is featured in a brand new piece for The New Yorker by Cadava, “Florida’s Proper Activate Immigration.”

TRANSCRIPT

It is a rush transcript. Copy is probably not in its closing type.

AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Battle and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, as we take a look at the sweeping anti-immigrant crackdown in Florida led by the Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, anticipated this week to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race.

The American Civil Liberties Union Monday filed a lawsuit towards Florida over a brand new property regulation signed by DeSantis that restricts immigrants from shopping for properties within the state in the event that they’re born in China, and in addition targets these from Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia and North Korea. The ACLU says the brand new regulation, quote, “harkens again to the anti-Asian land legal guidelines of the previous century … These legal guidelines violated the basic proper to equal safety — similar to Florida’s does.”

The laws takes impact July 1st together with one other anti-immigrant regulation that LULAC — that’s the League of United Latin American Residents — has referred to as “hostile and harmful,” and prompted it to situation a journey advisory for the state together with the NAACP. The regulation bans people who find themselves undocumented from utilizing driver’s licenses issued in different states, and prohibits state ID playing cards to be issued to them. It requires hospitals that settle for Medicaid to ask about folks’s citizenship standing throughout consumption, which might cease undocumented neighborhood members from looking for medical care. It additionally expands necessities for employers to make use of the federal E-Confirm system to test the immigration standing of their employees. Immigrant farmworkers and others have walked off the job in protest of the brand new regulation.

DON PEDRO: [translated] It is vitally unhappy and unlucky. They referred to as us immediately as a result of the painters and the individuals who do the cement all went to work in one other state.

AMY GOODMAN: In different movies on social media, truck drivers are calling for boycotts of Florida over its new anti-immigrant regulation.

ZEEK: I don’t find out about you guys, however my truck is not going to be going to Florida in any respect. If all of us got here collectively as one neighborhood for Rogel Aguilera when he was dealing with injustice, I’m fairly positive we will all come collectively because the Latino neighborhood and boycott Florida as an entire, as a result of what they’re doing to our brothers and sisters out there may be not truthful.

AMY GOODMAN: For extra, we’re joined by two friends. In Florida, Andrea Reyes is an immigration legal professional based mostly in Jacksonville. She’s featured within the new piece by Geraldo Cadava for The New Yorker journal headlined “Florida’s Proper Activate Immigration.” Cadava is a professor of historical past and Latino research at Northwestern College, writer of The Hispanic Republican: The Shaping of an American Political Id, from Nixon to Trump.

We welcome you each to Democracy Now! Andrea Reyes, I wish to start with you in Jacksonville. And thanks each a lot for becoming a member of us. For those who can discuss precisely what this new regulation lays out, together with somebody may be arrested for driving an undocumented migrant throughout state traces?

ANDREA REYES: Sure. Thanks for having me.

So, SB 1718 has been the harshest immigration invoice that we have now seen, harsher than the sequence of immigration payments that we noticed again in 2010, 2011, with the Arizona invoice beneath Jan Brewer. However what it initially was designed to do was truly much more draconian than what the ultimate invoice ended up being. And that’s what’s created lots of worry and havoc in our immigrant communities on a state and native degree. Initially, the invoice was presupposed to criminalize anyone that was serving to, mainly, transporting, harboring, housing an undocumented immigrant of their house. They might be topic to as much as a 15-year penalty. The ultimate invoice provision truly states particularly that an individual who drives into the state of Florida an undocumented immigrant — and actually, there’s a really particular phrase, and it’s an immigrant who entered with out inspection. So, the state invoice itself makes use of the phrase “inspection,” and in federal regulation, beneath the INA, there’s a very particular definition for “inspection” that doesn’t match the state definition of “inspection” within the invoice. So there’s lots of controversy, and we anticipate to see lots of controversy with that particular provision as a result of it is vitally obscure and overbroad.

As you acknowledged in your introduction, the invoice additionally does require hospitals to supply — hospitals who obtain Medicaid to report quarterly reviews to the Governor’s Workplace and to the Legislature in regards to the immigrants which can be receiving help of their hospitals. Nonetheless, what’s very tough about that invoice is that there’s truly — there’s a provision, and it’s particularly written into the invoice, that permits for the hospitals to pick “decline to reply.” So, immigrants are literally allowed — you recognize, they’re going to have the ability to decline to reply that citizenship query. However, after all — proper? — you’re telling immigrants, who naturally don’t search lots of medical consideration as it’s, as a result of they don’t wish to accumulate the payments, they don’t need the eye, they don’t need folks asking questions on their immigration standing, now they’re going to ask these questions although they’ve a possibility to say no to reply. So, inherently, there’s going to be lots of worry in that, as effectively.

One other massive provision of the invoice is that, as you recognize, there are about 19 states and the District of Columbia that present licenses to undocumented immigrants. And so, there’s lots of immigrants presently within the state of Florida which have lived in different areas or have households in numerous states, they usually’ve been in a position to receive licenses from different states. This invoice is now going to make it in order that if an immigrant is stopped they usually have a driver’s license from one other state, the police officer can train their authority as if the individual was driving with no license, which suggests they’ll ticket them and/or they’ll arrest them.

So, I imply, these are like the massive three issues. As effectively, you recognize, there may be the part for noncitizens who doubtlessly have their bar license proper now, should not going to have the ability to proceed having their license, I consider beginning November 1st, 2028. So, we have now lots of DACA recipients, as we all know, who don’t — it’s not a everlasting authorized resolution to their standing, but it surely does present some stability by work permits and Social Safety for them to have the ability to stabilize their lives. However so, lots of these people who should not U.S. residents or authorized everlasting residents will now not be capable of maintain licenses. It additionally creates a provision for regulation enforcement to need to necessary cooperate with ICE on any — you recognize, any packages the place an undocumented immigrant is likely to be processed.

So, there’s lots of issues on this provision, and — on this invoice, and what makes it actually terrifying is the quantity of provisions that it had. A number of the earlier payments that we’ve seen have centered on like, you recognize, two, three, 4 gadgets. This, you recognize, had, I believe, over 12 provisions that straight have an effect on immigration.

AMY GOODMAN: Geraldo Cadava, you might have written a e book on The Hispanic Republican. Clearly, you might have Ron DeSantis making ready to run for president, and he feels this can assist him, whether or not we’re speaking in regards to the abortion ban he simply signed or when he says, “That is the place woke goes to die,” Florida, and the “Don’t Say Homosexual” invoice. And now you might have this immigration regulation that’s going into impact. It appears to be pillars of his platform. Are you able to discuss why he feels, with a big Latino inhabitants in Florida, this can assist him win a nationwide viewers? Speak in regards to the make-up of Florida and in addition Latino Republicans.

GERALDO CADAVA: Yeah, that’s a fantastic query, Amy. And I simply wish to say thanks for having me on. I additionally wish to say, shortly, Andrea, it’s good to fulfill you right here. I imply, we spoke whereas I used to be writing the piece, however we had by no means met. And so, I simply wish to say that you simply’re the one doing the work on the bottom, and I’m simply reporting on it, so it’s good to see you right here, and thanks for the work you’re doing.

So, I undoubtedly suppose that this invoice is expounded to Ron DeSantis’s presidential ambitions. I imply, I believe he most likely appropriately perceives that the nationwide temper, particularly inside his personal celebration, is towards making it simpler for immigrants and asylum seekers to settle in the US. And so he thinks that if he can present that to be true, to be — that he’s doing one thing to be efficient on immigration in his personal state, he may also change into a great nationwide chief on this situation, as effectively.

However I believe it might be a miscalculation. I imply, Florida is in some methods distinctive. He has, by gerrymandering and voting restrictions, engineered this case in Florida the place he has 28 Republican senators and solely 12 Democrats, and so he can push by nearly something he needs to push by. However I’m unsure that what he’s attempting to do in Florida will translate nationally and, in actual fact, acquire him huge acceptance on a nationwide degree.

I believe Florida’s Latino communities are considerably totally different than different Latino communities. I imply, traditionally, they’ve thrown their assist to the Republican Social gathering for a very long time, for many years. And in November of 2022, 58% of Latinos voted for Ron DeSantis even regardless of the airlifts to Martha’s Winery and different locations. So I believe that in Florida you might have a way more conservative Latino inhabitants. I believe what’s attention-grabbing there these days is that it’s not simply Cuban People and Venezuelans who’re shifting their assist to Republicans, but in addition Puerto Ricans and Colombians and others.

AMY GOODMAN: I imply, it’s attention-grabbing you carry up the Martha’s Winery journey, taking undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, placing them in a aircraft, flying them to Martha’s Winery. Andrea Reyes, I imply, they’re speaking about arresting folks for driving with people who find themselves undocumented. He flew them.

ANDREA REYES: Yeah, I imply, it’s hypocritical, proper? We’re saying that we will’t have folks come into the state, however we’re going to take folks out of different states to different jurisdictions. It’s an overreach of his energy as a state entity. And we all know — once more, we consider that due to the overreach that he’s doing by immigration — he’s attempting to enact immigration legal guidelines by state regulation. The U.S. Supreme Courtroom has already dominated that immigration — the federal authorities has plenary energy over immigration, and so solely when the federal powers give any authority to the states can they really implement something associated to immigration. So, the truth that he’s attempting to create immigration enforcement by state coverage goes to change into a constitutional situation, as effectively.

AMY GOODMAN: So, you’re an immigration lawyer, Andrea Reyes, and also you’ve been doing this for numerous years, from Trump by Biden proper now. What do you demand of the Biden administration? And the way a lot energy does Biden have proper now within the face of those Republican governors, everybody from Abbott in Texas to DeSantis in Florida?

ANDREA REYES: Yeah, so, I believe Geraldo and I truly spoke about this within the article. We are able to take a look at any president, we will take a look at any administration, and it’s by no means going to be sufficient. No matter a president does with regards to the immigration world isn’t going to be sufficient, as a result of all they’re doing is placing a Band-Support on an open wound. You understand, a president can’t repair the issue, the damaged, delayed, strict immigration system that we have now. They’ll’t repair it. Actually, our Structure doesn’t permit for it. Solely Congress has the ability to create the legal guidelines to repair these issues. And, you recognize, for many years, Congress has refused to behave on smart, frequent — you recognize, constructive, smart immigration reform.

And we take a look at — take a look at the DREAM Act, for instance. The DREAM Act, the primary model, was created in 2001. That’s 22 years in the past. That’s an entire school scholar that — you recognize, when it comes to age, that we have now not been in a position to come collectively. We’ve offered, I believe, 11 or 12 variations of that DREAMers Act invoice, and Congress has not been in a position to come collectively. I believe the final time that we had an actual probability at passing it was in 2010. However since then, you recognize, we’ve offered new payments, and nothing’s occurred. That is probably the most likable, probably the most acceptable, probably the most deserving immigrant inhabitants, proper? The DREAMers. And we will’t get Congress to behave on behalf of DREAMers.

So, on the finish of the day, folks want to know that, sure, a president — once you go to vote for presidential elections, it issues, completely. All elections matter. However that’s the factor. Individuals suppose that solely presidential elections are going to repair their issues, when, actually, particularly for immigrant populations — proper? — the Congress, the Senate, our senators and our elected representatives are those which have the ability to construct and create the legal guidelines that we have to shield us.

And so, I believe a giant a part of this motion that’s going to come back ahead because of SB 1718 is all these younger Latinos — I’m hoping, anyhow, the identical factor that occurred after Arizona in 2010, you recognize, we’re going to have all these younger, vibrant Latino nonprofit organizations, grassroots movers, you recognize, form of instructing and educating the inhabitants on not similar to what our political system appears like, however, primary, it’s important to go away your baggage behind out of your nation. No matter occurred in your nation is in your nation, and it has a unique constitutional order. Right here in the US, we have now separate ideas that actually assist us — separation of powers, proper? What saved us throughout the Trump administration had been the federal courts. You understand, federalism, this concept of like what’s plenary energy for the federal authorities, what’s state energy.

So, if we will educate the immigrant inhabitants, if we will get voters registered, you recognize, if we will get folks to register for voting, I believe within the state of Florida, if I’m not — I’d misquote it, however I believe there’s like 40% of present everlasting authorized residents are eligible to vote, they usually haven’t registered to vote, as a result of, A, they don’t — the English — proper? — that’s all the time a problem, but in addition they don’t belief the system, they usually don’t consider in our means of presidency as a result of generally they’re caught on how their authorities operated of their house nation.

AMY GOODMAN: I wished to carry Professor Cadava again into the dialog. We solely have a few minute, however you communicate to José Rodríguez, a priest in Florida, who says many conservative Latino voters are prioritizing anti-abortion legal guidelines over immigration. And should you can discuss that and whether or not you suppose that can change as this turns into an increasing number of excessive?

GERALDO CADAVA: Yeah. Effectively, one of many issues I used to be focused on exploring is how this regulation is likely to be seen by spiritual — religiously motivated Latinos. And I used to be pondering that the invoice would form of pull them in numerous instructions, as a result of, on the one hand, they’ve lengthy supported immigrant rights and the concept that immigrants are neighbors and members of our neighborhood, on the similar time that they’re more and more form of supporting anti-abortion payments and Ron DeSantis’s different fairly radically conservative laws.

So, after I spoke with José Rodríguez, I wished to know how the Latinos he works with see this invoice. And he was saying that he thinks that conservative Latinos at the moment are prioritizing anti-abortion as a result of they’ve form of gone all in on the conservative motion. However he thinks that it might have — you recognize, it might have lots of blowback or lots of detrimental penalties for them, as effectively, as soon as they understand the entire detrimental results of the immigration invoice, as effectively. So he thinks that proper now conservative Latinos are simply elevating the anti-abortion situation over the immigration situation.

AMY GOODMAN: Effectively, we’re going to have to depart it there, however, after all, we’ll proceed to cowl this situation. Professor Geraldo Cadava, we thanks for being with us, professor of historical past and Latino research at Northwestern College in Chicago. We’ll hyperlink to your piece in The New Yorker journal, “Florida’s Proper Activate Immigration.” And thanks to Andrea Reyes, an immigration legal professional, chatting with us from Jacksonville, Florida.

And that does it for our present. Democracy Now! produced with Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Messiah Rhodes, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena, Tami Woronoff. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.