Bill McCollum

According to reports out of the capital, Republican House Rep William Snyder said the proposed bill he plans to introduce in the Florida House in November, like the Arizona law, would give Florida police increased authority to stop and investigate persons suspected to be illegal immigrants. Snyder said there are significant components from the Arizona bill that he plans to incorporate in the Florida bill.

It is believed such a harsh immigration bill would have the support of the two leading Republicans, Rick Scott and Bob McCollum, seeking to replace Charlie Crist as governor, along with Republican leaders in the Florida House and Senate.

The possibility of such an immigration bill being passed in Florida has immigration advocates furious, but not nervous.

Eduardo Juarez, a Hispanic immigration advocate and consultant in Miami, said every effort will be taken by immigration advocates in Florida, especially in South Florida, where most illegal immigrants are assumed to reside, from even having such a bill tabled in the Florida House.

“Tabling such a bill would be figuratively spitting in the faces of illegal immigrants. But, the Republicans will try to draft the bill, and this is more reason why Mr. Obama needs to at least get a new immigration bill tabled in Congress before November,” Juarez said.

Pearline Larue a Haitian-American immigration attorney, who recently moved from New York to Palm Beach County, said she doubts such a harsh law like the Arizonian law could pass in Florida. “This is a state with the third largest undocumented immigrant population. Such a law would create open turmoil here. While illegal immigration is not something to be tolerated, the fact that there are over 11 million undocumented immigrants in America means that the time is overdue for immigration reform to give these individuals rights, not pass a law that makes it difficult for all immigrants.”

The Arizona law has drawn strong criticism from around the country, including from President Barack Obama. The White House has indicated they might file a lawsuit against Arizona’s government related to its law that should take effect in July. The main criticism is that because the law gives police the authority to stop and investigate anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant, it harbors racial-discriminatory implications for Arizona’s Hispanic community, since most of the illegal immigrants are from nearby Mexico.

Larue believes the potential for racial discrimination would be worse in Florida where large percentages of illegal immigrants are believed to be among the Black and Hispanic communities.

Carmen Medina, a political organizer in South Miami, scoffs at the idea of Florida Republican legislators trying to pass a “destructive immigration bill” this or any year. She said, “Republicans seeking office in Tallahassee or Washington lean heavily on Florida Hispanics for their vote. They know that a harsh immigration law like the one in Arizona would cost them the elections. They are not all fools.”

Jonathan, an illegal immigrant and handyman living in Homestead said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they passed the law here. It doesn’t matter who is Florida’s governor or U.S. president. They always talk about reform, and there is no reform. Illegal immigrants like me just have to continue hustling until they send us home.”