New Florida Bill Is Strictest Immigration Legislation Yet

Despite lawmakers from some states backing off from introducing legislation similar to Arizona’s SB 1070, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is proposing a bill that will go further than Arizona’s in punishing undocumented immigrants.

Last month, just a day before SB 1070 was to go into effect, a federal judge blocked many of the controversial portions of the law, including the requirement that police check the immigration status of those arrested or stopped. McCollum’s proposal will also allow officers to determine the status of those who are arrested. But he says his law bars “unreasonable profiling.” In fact, McCollum’s law goes further than Arizona’s because it allows judges to consider immigration status when determining bail and whether to charge a suspect with a higher-level offense.

For his part, Florida Gov. Charlie Christ is opposed to the bill. “I don't like the Arizona law, I don't think it's the right way to go," said Crist to CNN, according to The Orlando Sentinel. "And I think the key word that came out […] was people that are suspected of being illegal immigrants. Well, how do you make that determination? By what they look like? I mean, that's not part of the America that I believe in."

Kristi Eaton is a staff writer for Campus Progress. She graduated from Arizone State University in 2008.