The Mexican government is funding a lawsuit against illegal immigrants in Florida who are facing prison time and charged with human smuggling under Governor Ron DeSantis’ anti-illegal immigration law.
DeSantis Signed Senate Bill 1718 (SB 1718) will become law in May 2023 and require employers to use the E-Verify system to verify the employment eligibility of potential candidates, prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses, and increase penalties for human smuggling.
After the law went into effect last July, several migrants, including Raquel Lopez Aguilar, 41, were arrested by Florida law enforcement and highway patrol officers. Aguilar has been jailed since her arrest for transporting illegal immigrants working as a roofer and faces up to 20 years in prison, but the Mexican government has not yet released any details. pay He covered the legal costs, according to the Guardian.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waves as he arrives at a press conference in Matlacha, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2022. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We will win this case,” said Juan Savines, Mexico’s consul in Orlando. Said 10 Tampa Bay added, “There is no one in this world who is illegal.”
Under SB 1718, human smuggling is defined as “the knowingly transporting five or more illegal immigrants or one illegal minor immigrant.” Penalties for human smuggling include a second-degree felony, a $10,000 fine, and up to 15 years in prison.
NPR correspondent Greg Allen report “The arresting officer stated that he stopped Aguilar’s van because ‘the rear window had stains that were obviously darker than legal standards and the windshield had several large cracks.'”
Raquel Lopez Aguilar was driving a van with six people in it when she was stopped by state police in August. The arresting officer said he stopped the van because “the film on the rear window was obviously darker than legal and the windshield had several large cracks.” Border Patrol agents were called. Lopez Aguilar reportedly told officers that she and two others were traveling from Georgia to Tampa. She was arrested and charged with four counts of human smuggling. Lopez Aguilar’s legal costs are being paid for by the Mexican government under a program that provides legal assistance to its citizens in the United States. The Mexican consul in Orlando called Lopez Aguilar’s arrest “a total injustice.” The consul will visit Lopez Aguilar in jail and hold a press conference tomorrow. Lopez Aguilar is believed to be the first person arrested under Florida law. If convicted, each of the four human smuggling charges carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the law in May, he boasted that it was the toughest immigration law in the country.
U.S. District Judge Roy Altman issued a ruling in May barring state law enforcement officials from enforcing parts of SB 1718. Define According to the Florida Phoenix, transporting illegal immigrants is considered human trafficking. Altman said: Be expected In late June, the court is scheduled to hear arguments on whether the ruling banning law enforcement officers from enforcing the human smuggling portion of SB 1718 should be upheld.
Texas and Florida Highway Patrol troopers apprehended a group of migrants along the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Governor DeSantis’ immigration laws have faced harsh criticism from those who claim they have led to a loss of migrant workers in the state who are willing to work for low wages. In July 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Florida Farm Workers Association, and the American Immigration Council filed a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis’ immigration reform laws.
The groups argued that DeSantis’ law punishes “a range of conduct that Congress has chosen not to prohibit” and “hampers the federal immigration system by preventing immigrants from entering Florida.”
While the law is seen as bad for illegal immigrants in Florida who may be willing to work as cheap labor, DeSantis’ immigration reform law is good for American workers because it will lower housing costs and force companies to raise wages for their employees.
Mexico has long supported illegal immigration to the United States, with offices in cities across the U.S. to help Mexicans gain legal status in the U.S. and send money back to Mexico. DeSantis’ legislation has been a target for Mexico because, under SB 1718, it would make it harder for employers to hire Mexican immigrants, who are willing to pay lower wages, and harder to hire higher-paying Americans.
