Florida will impose harsher penalties for crimes committed by Immigrants without legal status in the United Statesinformed 51 Telemundo.
For example, a petty theft committed by a US citizen, which can lead to a 12-month prison sentence and a fine of up to $1.000, could result in a felony sentence of up to five years in prison and a $5.000 fine for an undocumented person.
The premise, Gov. Ron DeSantis has said, is “don’t come to the state of Florida illegally.”
"Florida will be safer and more secure," the Republican said.
According to Cesar Cuauhtémoc Garcia Hernandez, a law professor at Ohio State University who specializes in immigration and criminal law, the laws are “leading to a head-on collision with the constitutional guarantee of equal protection for all who are in the United States.”
This comes as President Donald Trump has toughened his stance against illegal immigration. And on his first day in office, he signed an executive order approving the death penalty for an illegal immigrant who murders a law enforcement officer, or commits any capital crime in the country. However, federal juries and judges will still have the ability to decide whether to apply the death penalty.
However, Florida law removes judicial discretion in certain cases, requiring courts to impose the death penalty if an undocumented immigrant is found guilty of raping a minor or committing first-degree murder.
It should also be remembered that in 2024, DeSantis signed legislation to increase sentences for people who committed state felonies after having been previously deported. This means that someone who committed a third-degree felony, which is generally punishable by up to five years in prison and a $1.000 fine, would have to pay for a second-degree felony, and would be fined $10.000 and imprisoned up to 15 years.
While an analysis of The Associated Press Using bill-tracking software Plural, he warned that other states would follow Florida's lead, including Idaho, Indiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas and Minnesota, which would allow enhanced penalties for some state crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
