Charity and Immigration Jeopardy in Florida
DeSantis: A Governor Flirting with Authoritarianism, The Berkley Beacon, April 14, 2023
Florida Mussolini is championing a bill and his lackeys in the legislature are boldly declaring that “anyone who comes out against this bill is pro-illegal immigration and pro-open borders. What this bill does, it’s a comprehensive, state-led anti-immigration bill that, quite frankly, should be the gold standard for other states.” The bill makes it a third degree felony to conceal, house, or transport an illegal alien and any person violating the bill shall be held in custody until brought before a judge to determine pretrial release. There are all sorts of other fascist provisions — we should all be Antifa, by now — in the bill. I am not exaggerating when I say that the bill even has some final solution type surveillance and reporting provisions nicely tucked in. It is “this close” to authorizing the involuntary deputizing of citizens who are then constrained to hunt down “illegals” like slaves. Even uber drivers could get locked up for not checking a riders “papers.”
Hospitals, nonprofit or for profit, are not spared. Those that accept Medicaid must check the citizenship and immigration status of all patients — but especially those admitted to the emergency room, of course, because that is where charitable patients get their care — and every quarter those hospitals must submit a report on the citizenship or immigration status of every single patient to Florida Mussolini. The bill allows that Hospitals “may” tell patients that their illegal status will not prevent them from being treated. But they better not tell them that the police are on the way or are “sitting in the hallway to see you when your treatment is done.” And by the way, the bill labels violations of its provisions regarding housing or transporting the undocumented “human smuggling.” Can you believe that?
The hospitals aren’t expressing their concerns the way churches are, probably because they want none of Little Mussolini’s smoke that he is blowing towards Disney right down the street here. Churches tend to answer to a higher authority and aren’t concerned about the use of taxing and police power to squelch dissent against “Don’t Say Gay” for example. In broad daylight and with full consent of the legislature, judges, even the media, all of whom are too scared to admit this man wears no clothes. Churches aren’t that scared, but they are not speaking as though God and Civil Society were really backing them. Still, at least they are pointing out that the bill punishes religion and charity. Here is what some Churches are saying:
“Where’s our religious freedom?” asked Carbajal, the church’s pastor. Many of his parishioners in Mulberry, about 33 miles east of Tampa, provide transportation to newcomers and community members. “Our work as pastors and members of a church is focused on a spiritual need and humanitarian commitment, and certainly not based on a person’s legal status,” Carbajal said. “We are against this . . . It restricts our pastoral work. And we cannot work in fear.”
The bill, SB1718, sponsored by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, would expose Floridians to third-degree felony charges for transporting or harboring someone without permanent legal status, and it would invalidate driver’s licenses issued by other states to such immigrants. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was raised Catholic, supports the measure.
Christie Arnold, policy expert for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the legislation would be harmful to families, citizens and those with mixed immigration status “who suddenly cannot bring a friend, a neighbor or a loved one to church, the grocery store or the doctor without risking imprisonment.”
“It essentially criminalizes the Christian call to charity and service, to love our neighbor and to serve the least of our brothers and sisters,” Arnold said to the Tampa Bay Times. “Its detrimental effects to various sectors of the economy, such as construction and agriculture, would be far-reaching.”
The arrival of new immigrants represents a challenge not only for government agencies but also nonprofit organizations, churches, community groups and even public schools. But local advocates and community leaders said this is not a reason to put people at risk of criminal prosecution.
But it will probably pass and be adopted, and its proponent will declare from the presidential campaign trail that “we, in Florida know who to handle illegal immigrants. Just like we handle POC and LGTBQ,” only worse.
darryll jones