• 19
  • January
    2012

As the immigration debate continues on the national level, Florida legislators are also taking steps to reform immigration law. Some of these reforms could help immigrant communities in Florida; others could make things more difficult.

According to The Florida Independent, some of the 2012 immigration bills filed in the legislature include:

  • E-Verify bill: Filed by Representative Gayle Harrell, R-Port St. Lucie, and Senator Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, this bill would require employers to use E-Verify in order to determine if a job applicant is authorized to work in the United States.
  • Restrictive Driving Privilege Card / Illegal Immigrant Residing in State bill: Filed by Senator Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, this bill would allow the Department of Highway Safety (DHS) to issue restrictive driving privilege cards to undocumented immigrants.
  • Resident Status for Tuition Purposes bill: This bill, filed by Senator Rene Garcia and Representative Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, would allow dependent children to be classified as residents for college tuition purposes if they have met certain high school requirements.
  • Postsecondary Student Fees bill: This bill, filed by Representative Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, would allow students to pay in-state tuition at Florida colleges if they have graduated from an in-state high school and attended an in-state high school for at least three years.
  • Florida Kidcare Program bill: Also filed by Senator Rene Garcia, this bill would allow undocumented immigrant children to participate in the Florida Kidcare program, a program in which they currently cannot participate.

It is difficult to predict how these bills will do in the Florida Legislature or whether similar federal bills will pass Congress. As Florida immigration attorneys, we will keep an eye on the 2012 legislative session and how it will impact our immigration clients.

Source: The Florida Independent, "In Tallahassee, a sizable shift in immigration priorities," Marcos Restrepo, Jan. 17, 2012.