PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is doubling down, day’s ahead of the presidential inauguration, by making himself clear when it comes to where Florida will stand with the incoming administration on illegal immigration.
“We are not approaching the new administration in a lackadaisical fashion. We in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission,” said DeSantis during a press conference in Winter Haven.
That includes several proposals for Florida’s upcoming special legislative session.
“Enact criminal penalties for illegal entry under state law, reform education and voting rules, Florida gives in state tuition for children of illegal immigrants,” said DeSantis.
WATCH: Gov. DeSantis doubles down on special session
Among the proposals is one that The Guatemalan-Maya Center said will affect many who are here taking care of family back home.
“We are going to impose ID verification for foreign remittances," said DeSantis. "The money transfer company has got to run you through to make sure that your lawfully able to be in country and to send money outside of our country."
“I mean, I don’t know that any of that makes sense,” said The Guatemalan-Maya Center Operation Director Mariana Blanco. “Most of our migrant workforce are doing the jobs that nobody else wants to do, so when we think about farm workers, when we think about day laborers, construction—those are hard labor jobs. We have to consider that when we talk about continuing to put barriers in the lives of our migrant work force.”
The Guatemalan-Maya Center in Lake Worth Beach is a nonprofit that advocates for migrant workers. Blanco said this rhetoric is nothing new for the population they serve. In the meantime, she said they will continue to advocate for migrant workers as they wait to see how things play out.
“I think it’s going to be hard to enforce a lot of the things they are looking to enforce, not to mention how costly it’s going to be,” Blanco said.
The list of proposals also includes suspension for law enforcement who do not comply with the proposed enforcement.
WPTV reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office for comment. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw provided a statement saying, “PBSO has always cooperated with ICE and will continue to do so."
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