Several state and national organizations have released statements about the immigration-enforcement bills that failed in the Florida legislature this session. #
The National Immigration Forum said in a statement released on Monday: #
Friday was a victory for Florida’s economy, businesses, tourists, and immigrants. Florida’s heritage as a state welcoming to immigrants and visitors from around the world has been preserved #
The release commends Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, chair of the Senate Budget Committee and an agricultural magnate who says he uses E-Verify on his own workers. He appeared deeply conflicted during much of the debate, saying the government had to enforce it laws, but that it was unfair to punish people who had in some cases spent decades working for companies like his, often with “a wink and a nod from the federal government.” #
After taking over the measure from Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, Alexander became the target of an emotional and prayer-filled lobbying effort that clearly affected him. He started keeping a rosary from an immigrant child who took part in an emotional scene after a budget hearing Alexander oversaw, and eventually gave an impassioned speech against an E-Verify provision. #
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who supported the stronger measure, said Alexander likely changed members’ minds that day and swayed votes against the E-Verify amendment, which ultimately failed. Alexander also wound up voting against the bill as a whole, which passed the Senate in a quick vote but died after it wasn’t taken up by the House. #
Haridopolos has taken heat from his opponents in the Republican primary to challenge Bill Nelson for the U.S. Senate. Adam Hasner and George LeMieux have both criticized his failure to pass tougher enforcement legislation. #
Haridopolos can at least say he tried, and that his chamber managed to pass something. He said his opponents were “legislating from Twitter,” which is a lot easier than passing a bill on the Senate floor — especially one that drew opposition from business and agricultural groups, as well as thousands of immigrants themselves, whose prayers and protests were a constant presence in the capitol in the final weeks of the legislative session.
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Somos Republicans — which calls itself the largest conservative Hispanic Republican grassroots organization in the country — celebrated in a press release the failure of the Florida Senate’s legislation. The organization says: #
We hope this sends a strong message to those who have sought to use Latin communities as scapegoats. If we lose the State of Florida to the Democrats with regard to the upcoming 2012 Presidential elections, we will attribute some of the blame to Flores. #
Flores sponsored S.B. 2040 and oversaw the January informational hearings that led to the crafting of the legislation, but eventually voted against the bill. #
Somos Republicans add: #
While we are confident Hispanic voters in Florida District 38 will not forget the actions of State Senator Anitere Flores, we also hope the Cuban-Americans won’t allow Tea Party extremists to continue antagonizing our communities with fear mongering and false statistics. #
The Federation for American Immigration Reform — an organization whose legal affiliate, the Immigration Reform Law Institute, helped draft Arizona’s controversial immigration-enforcement law S.B. 1070 — heavily criticized Alexander’s role in the debate, and stated: #
On Wednesday, lawmakers in the Florida Senate passed a watered-down immigration enforcement bill and watched it die as the House failed to take it up in the hours before the State’s legislative session ended Friday. #
We Are Florida! — a campaign launched by the Florida Immigrant Coalition that seeks to change the debate around immigration in Florida — stated: #
A consensus is also growing from virtually every part of the State that the Federal Government must assume its responsibility to develop a truly comprehensive fix to our broken immigration system. Change takes courage. Until that relief truly comes, the everyday people of our State will continually brace for divisive debates. After the end of the session … the real work begins building bridges between neighbors and creating dialog where there is division. #
“What we can at least say is that the worst has been averted,” said Subhash Kateel, one of the campaign’s organizers. #
“We were told at the beginning of the session that something had to pass,” he said. “So when nothing passed, it means that common sense prevailed over politics. Because the only thing that said something had to pass was politics — not good policy.” #
Travis Pillow contributed to this story. #
