JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a sweeping immigration bill to deter people who are in the U.S. illegally from coming to the Sunshine State along with holding others accountable in the state who are involved.
During a news conference Wednesday morning in Jacksonville, DeSantis explained SB 1718 does a number of different things such as expanding requirements for businesses with more than 25 staffers to use E-Verify, a federal system that determines if employees can legally work in the U.S.
The bill also enhances human smuggling penalties along with subjecting offenders to prosecution under the Florida RICO Act, which DeSantis said was a recommendation from the statewide grand jury.
"If you're knowingly transporting illegal aliens into Florida, you can be facing up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine per offense," the governor explained. "If you're caught transporting five or more illegal aliens or an unaccompanied illegal alien minor or you have a prior conviction for human smuggling, you can get a $10,000 fine and up to 15 years in prison.
"At the end of the day, you wouldn't have the illegal immigration problem if you didn't have a lot of people who were facilitating this in our country."
SB 1718 also prohibits county governments from providing money to organizations that issue identification cards to people illegally in the country and invalidates out-of-state driver's licenses held by undocumented immigrants. It makes it a felony for those in the U.S. illegally to use a fake ID to gain employment.
Another part of the bill will require hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms. The bill also provides $12 million for DeSantis' migrant relocation initiative.
"Today, we are acting with the strongest measures yet," the governor said. "We're proud of the Legislature for stepping up and for getting this done. But we're bracing for some turbulent times ahead."
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis was in Jacksonville with DeSantis to speak his support of the bill that was signed.
"This legislation is safeguarding our residents, our families and those visitors who come to our great state," Nienhuis said. "Florida, as you heard the governor say, is absolutely not a sanctuary state and illegal immigrants are not authorized to work here."
Watch the full news conference down below.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.