Carriers That Transport Undocumented Workers Can't Do Business In FL

TAMPA, FL — State and local government agencies in Florida are no longer allowed to do business with chartered buses or planes that "knowingly" transport undocumented immigrants into the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1808, which prohibits governmental entities, including state agencies and local governments, from contracting with common carriers that transport undocumented immigrants into Florida.

After signing the bill into law, DeSantis ordered all government agencies to review their current contracts and notify vendors that their contracts won't be renewed unless they comply with the new law.

This is DeSantis' latest attack against what he calls Biden's "lax immigration policies."

See related stories:

• DeSantis Names Public Safety Czar To Oversee Illegal Immigration
• If Homeland Security Won't Do Its Job, Florida Will, Says AG Moody

In September, DeSantis and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration for what they described as President Joe Biden's "catch-and-release" policy on immigration that was allowing a flood of undocumented workers into Florida.

“Floridians’ tax dollars should not go to corporations that facilitate the international human smuggling operation encouraged by the Biden administration,” said DeSantis. “I was proud to sign Senate Bill 1808 to protect our state from the effects of Biden’s border crisis.”

Senate Bill 1808 prohibits governmental entities, including state agencies, counties, municipalities and other governmental authorities, from contracting with or renewing contracts with a person, firm or corporation that transports a person into Florida knowing that person is an undocumented immigrant, unless it is to detain or facilitate the deportation of an undocumented immigrant.

The new law takes effect on Oct. 1.

During a news conference Friday, DeSantis also announced the formation of a strike force of state and local law enforcement to catch human strugglers and traffickers, and seize illegal weapons coming into the state.

This includes authorizing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol "to detain any aircraft, bus, or other vehicle within the state of Florida reasonably believed to be transporting illegal aliens to Florida from the Southwest border."

The law also requires county sheriff's offices to forge agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to participate in a program for local law enforcement officers to help with immigration enforcement.

Additionally, DeSantis has filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to examine international human smuggling networks that bring aliens to the southern border, and ultimately into Florida.

“Illegal aliens are being smuggled across the border in record numbers, which the reckless policies of the Biden administration facilitate,” DeSantis said during the news conference. “Today, Florida has taken additional action to protect our state from the effects of what is a full-fledged border crisis.”

“As a mother, protecting children is close to my heart,” said Moody.“We cannot turn a blind eye to traffickers and smugglers exploiting the border crisis to subject children to extremely dangerous conditions. I am grateful that Gov. DeSantis has asked the Florida Supreme Court to have my statewide prosecutor impanel a grand jury to uncover the facts surrounding those in Florida who may be involved.”

DeSantis announced his intention to pursue the new law in December after asserting that the federal government was flying undocumented immigrants into Jacksonville.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Jacksonville, said he had personal knowledge of 78 flights chartered by the federal government that surreptitiously brought undocumented immigrants to Jacksonville in the middle of the night.

“Over the last 12 months, at least 78 federally chartered airplanes have brought illegal aliens into the Jacksonville International Airport that we know about," Bean said. "It's our best guess because the federal government does not inform the state of Florida about these flights, where or when they're going to occur.”

Calling it a "government-run human-smuggling operation," Bean said, "We don't know who these people are, and the crimes of which they're committing is very real. When they come to Florida in the dead of night, truly, that's not the way to carry out an immigration policy.”

State Rep. Melony Bell, R-Fort Meade, said DeSantis' actions are necessary to safeguard Florida from the responsibility of caring for thousands of undocumented people who are being dropped off in Florida with "no jobs, no food, no shelter."

“Once they get here, there’s nothing for them to do. They get into crime; they start driving vehicles drunk; they kill off citizens," she said.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, however, said DeSantis is posturing about a problem that doesn't exist.

“This is another example of political rhetoric and campaigns masquerading as a bill,” she said. “This entire bill is a facade being used to boost up campaign coffers in 2022 and 2024."

The Poynter Institute investigated the claims that immigrants are being transported into the state by buses and planes, and discovered that the majority of people trying to enter the country illegally are turned away.

"Exceptions are made for unaccompanied minors, some of whom are transported by planes to be with relatives or approved sponsors — a practice also done during the Trump administration," said the Poynter Institute.

ICE is also using air transportation to move adult detainees from one detention facility to another to relieve overcrowding.

If that's the case, said Florida Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, the bill would penalize private air carriers chartered by the federal government to unite children that have crossed the border with relatives living in Florida.

“It is unconstitutional. It is wrong on a human level," she said.