GOP-dominated House ready to pass ‘sanctuary city’ ban

TALLAHASSEE — Amid a national debate about immigration reform, the Republican-dominated Florida House is poised to approve a measure banning so-called “sanctuary cities” despite the objections of Democrats, immigrant advocates and civil rights groups.

The House debated the controversial policy for hours Thursday — day three of the 2018 legislative session — an indication of its importance to Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Land O’Lakes Republican who is mulling a run for governor.

The proposal mirrors a measure passed by the House last year, though it has been branded by critics this time around as an election-year political ploy by GOP House leaders, including Corcoran.

“This bill is not just cruel. It’s absurd,” Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, a Miami Democrat who is a lawyer, said before the House took up the proposal during Thursday’s floor session.

The measure (HB 9), which likely will pass the House today, would require local governments and universities to comply with federal immigration laws and would impose stiff penalties on those that declare themselves sanctuaries from immigration enforcement.

Under the measure — dubbed the “Rule of Law Adherence Act” — state or local governmental entities or law enforcement agencies would be fined up to $5,000 for each day they are deemed to be out of compliance. The bill would require complying with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention requests and repealing current sanctuary policies.

Rep. Larry Metz, R-Yalaha, began crafting the anti-sanctuary measure in 2015 in reaction to the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle in San Francisco, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported. A jury last month found Jose Ines Garcia Zanate not guilty of second-degree murder charges in Steinle’s death.

“How did we get to a point in the country where we have over 11 million foreign citizens in our country without any screening, without any permissive authorization to come here? What does that do to the rule of law?” Metz said Thursday.

The House took up the issue a day after federal immigration officials raided 7-Eleven convenience stores in 17 states, including Florida, resulting in 21 arrests. The debate occurred on the same day President Donald Trump sparked outrage after reportedly questioning why the U.S. should accept immigrants from countries such as Haiti and African countries, which he described in derogatory terms.