Law SB 1718: Penalties for transporting undocumented immigrants to Florida will be at the center of the lawsuit against DeSantis

Orlando, Florida. Hours after it came into effect on July 1, the organizations announced it They will sue Against Florida Immigration Law SB 1718.

The legislation, signed May 10 by Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, revokes driver’s licenses issued by 16 states to drivers without immigration status and establishes prison terms for transporting undocumented immigrants to Florida. Employers with more than 25 workers must use e-verification Among other measures, to determine employment eligibility.

systems like Southern Poverty Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice and American Immigration Council He announced that he would be suing DeSantis on behalf of several individuals Florida Farm Workers Union (Florida Farm Workers Union), charged that the law “not only violates the basic rights of people in the state, but also undermines the cultural richness and economic contributions of immigrants.”

Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli, director of the Florida Campesino Association , I said Univision Orlando News of “seeking to challenge the constitution”. SB 1718.

“The main case we are arguing is that people who have to travel outside the state and return, but because the law is being implemented, it violates their rights to move freely between different states of the country,” he explained. Xiuhtecutli.

Many agricultural workers have to leave the state for work, family or personal reasons, he says.

“It is no secret that many farm workers travel with the season, going to northern states and returning when the season is right in the south. This Act does not allow them to carry out their work activities Because it deters them and penalizes them for having to move in and out of the state,” he said.

SB 1718 Penalizes individuals who transport undocumented immigrants into the state of Florida with up to 15 years in prison. It doesn’t matter whether it’s tourism or business meetings or whether they’re friends and family.

Who Transports Undocumented Immigrants to Florida? resides in the state, You will also be charged. It also imposes 5 years imprisonment and fine $5,000 An undocumented person is of legal age and faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine $10,000 If you are small.

Xiuhtecutli asserts that everyone in the United States has rights under the Constitution.

“Don’t leave because we believe this law will be stopped. We continue to urge everyone to document all cases of abuse of power, discrimination and personal attacks. “All these serve to show that the implementation of this Act, whether by individuals or by certain institutions, is not really constitutional,” he added.

Although he points out that he doesn’t have exact numbers yet, Xiuhtecutli estimates that 10% of the workers he contacts are trying to leave Florida.

One of the recommendations of the director of the Florida campesino association is to keep any receipt or document that shows their established presence in the state, “so it is protected by the constitution,” he explained.

The Florida Immigration Federation has a hotline to report any incidents related to immigration law at 1-888-600-5762.