FL Considering Arizona Immigration Law
William Snyder, the head of the Florida House’s criminal justice committee is considering introducing an Arizona style law against illegal immigrants here in Florida. The Arizona law recently passed orders requiring immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requiring police to check the immigration status of people they reasonably suspect to be in the United States illegally. The law also targets those who hire illegal immigrant laborers or who knowingly transport them. Its aim is to identify, prosecute, and deport illegal immigrants. In 2008, Florida had an estimated 850,000 illegal immigrants throughout the state, ranking it third in the country behind California and Texas. Although Arizona has received a lot of backlash for the recently enacted law, polls of registered voters have shown that people want their states to pass a law similar to Arizona’s. People are demanding stricter enforcement of immigration laws rather than integrating immigrants into society. However, some people are concerned that the enforcement of Arizona’s strict immigration law may bring about racial profiling, harassment, and discrimination. Arizona is the first state to demand that immigrants meet federal requirements to carry identity documents, but Florida may soon be following as its registered voters are pushing for change and approve of what Arizona has done.
