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Your weekly summary from the Council
LATEST ANALYSIS
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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The Florida House passed a bill last week that will impose sweeping restrictions on immigrants in their everyday lives, affecting everything from their ability to safely access healthcare to the types of jobs they can seek. The bill now heads for Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk.
The bill's provisions include invalidating out-of-state licenses held by undocumented immigrants; preventing undocumented immigrants from becoming practicing attorneys in the state; and requiring healthcare facilities collect data on patients' immigration status and tracking the costs of all services they receive. The legislation also authorizes Gov. DeSantis to spend up to $12 million of taxpayers’ dollars to transport migrants across state lines, mirroring a stunt he pulled last year when he helped transport asylum seekers from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. It also makes it a felony to “transport” undocumented immigrants who are not on the government’s radar into Florida, even if they’re part of your family and entered the country years ago.
The bill was passed despite Florida’s unique demographics. As of 2018, a full 21% of all Florida residents were born in another country. One in four workers in Florida is an immigrant, making up large shares of the healthcare, agriculture, and construction industries in the state.
This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council dives into immigrants’ contributions to Florida as neighbors, business owners, taxpayers, and workers.
Read more: Immigrants in Florida
ACROSS THE NATION
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A global displacement crisis is affecting nearly every country in the world. Multiple nations across the Western Hemisphere have become destabilized due to a wide variety of factors. The result is humanitarian migration at levels far above what our outdated system can handle.
Presidential administrations of both parties have failed to meet this challenge. Instead of an orderly, humane, and consistent approach to humanitarian protection and border management, we have been left with a dysfunctional system that serves the needs of no one: not the government, border communities, or asylum seekers themselves.
Today, the U.S. government faces an enormous but doable challenge: build a flexible and modern humanitarian protection system that realistically addresses these 21st century problems.
In a new special report, the American Immigration Council offers recommendations to bring orderliness to our southern border and modernize our asylum system.
Through 13 detailed recommendations, the Council shows how we can create a system for asylum processing that is durable, respects asylum seekers, inspires confidence in the American public, and ensures that the United States remains a beacon of safety.
Read more: Beyond a Border Solution: How to Build a Humanitarian Protection System That Won’t Break
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“America needs durable solutions, not simplistic soundbites. This means taking concrete steps right now that work to bring orderliness and fairness to the overwhelmed asylum process at our southern border, and to do so in a way that builds toward a long term set of solutions that work on the ground, reflect our values and serve our interests. Rebuilding a functional system does not require a radical overhaul of U.S. immigration law. We can build a system that reflects our values, is true to our laws, and has public support because it is in the interest of the nation.”
– Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Director of Policy at the American Immigration Council
FURTHER READING
UPCOMING EVENTS
- On Wednesday, May 10, the Council will be hosting a webinar on the end of Title 42, what the administration is likely to do next, and a discussion of how the Council’s recommendations serve as a blueprint for meaningful humanitarian protection and effective border management.
Register Here: End of Title 42: Beyond Border Solutions
- Registration is now open for the Council’s Immigration Impact Awards in Orlando, Florida during the AILA National Conference. Join us Friday, June 23, as we recognize the impact that immigrants make to this country.
Register Here: Immigration Impact Awards
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