Lawmakers back off immigration penalties that worried religious leaders

TALLAHASSEE — State lawmakers rewrote language Monday in a sweeping immigration bill that religious leaders said could have subjected them to felony charges if they transported people living in the country illegally to church or Sunday school.

A Florida House panel advanced a revised bill that no longer makes it a felony crime to knowingly transport someone without legal status within Florida.

“If it’s within the state of Florida, they are not held liable to any wrongdoing,” said Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, the bill’s sponsor.

Sister Ann Kendrick, who founded the Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka that helps Central Florida’s immigrant families, was among those calling for lawmakers to reconsider the bill.

“I cart people around all the time who are undocumented,” she said. “I’ll go to jail for… helping a kid? Wow, isn’t that the American way?”

[ RELATED: Religious leaders fear Florida bill could make it a crime to take immigrants to church ]

The revised bill (HB 1617) expands human-smuggling penalties for transporting a child or five or more people without legal status into Florida, not within the state, or if the defendant has a previous human-smuggling conviction. An amendment has been filed to make a similar change to the Senate’s version of the bill.

The immigration bill is a top priority for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who made national headlines last year when his administration flew dozens of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.

Opponents, though, say the legislation will be devastating for undocumented families, driving them further into the shadows and hurting the state’s immigrant-powered economy.

“Florida is a migration state, from within the country, from outside the country,” said the Rev. Russell L. Meyer, executive director of the Florida Council of Churches. “We come from everywhere. What this bill says is that Florida is not an immigrant place — when in fact it is in our very history and our very nature.”

Supporters say the action is needed at the state level because the federal government hasn’t adequately addressed illegal immigration.

“We have to be willing to cut off the carrot at the end of the stick that’s actively drawing people here illegally,” said Rep. Chase Tramont, R-Port Orange.

The House’s bill features many but not all of the items requested by DeSantis. Lawmakers are taking up the bill as they near the end of their 60-day session on May 5.

Beginning July 1, businesses with 25 or more employees would be required to verify immigration status for new permanent employees through the federal immigration database called E-Verify. DeSantis called for all employers in Florida to use E-Verify to determine employment eligibility.DeSantis called for ending in-state college tuition for undocumented students who have attended high school in Florida for three consecutive years. That hasn’t been included in the immigration legislation.Immigrants without legal status could no longer practice law in Florida.Hospitals accepting Medicaid would have to ask patients for their immigration status on admission forms and report to the state how much is spent on providing medical care to people who are not in the country lawfully.Funds would be cut for programs that issue community IDs to people living in the country illegally, and out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants would not be recognized in Florida.The bill allocates $12 million for the state’s “Unauthorized Alien Transport Program,” expanding on DeSantis’ initiative to fly migrants out of the state.People in the custody of a law enforcement agency and subject to an immigration detainer would be required to submit DNA to the statewide DNA database.

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