Florida declares total war on illegal immigrants, closing every financial loophole: “Immigration has scourged our communities”
Florida – The chief financial officer of Florida is pushing ahead with a new set of plans to close off ways that illegal immigrants can get into state-regulated institutions. This is a change in strategy that relies more on financial tools than on traditional law enforcement approaches.
Blaise Ingoglia, who is currently in charge of the Florida Department of Financial Services after serving in the state Senate, stated that Florida has already taken a lot of steps to limit access to state programs, but he warned that there are still some gaps. He said that those openings could be used in the future if the political leadership changes.
Ingoglia said that the announcement was a response to what he called a growing threat. He talked about a few recent cases that he says show how serious the situation is. One was an Indian immigrant living in the U.S. illegally who had a California commercial driver’s license and was accused of causing a crash on Florida’s Turnpike that killed several people.
“Illegal immigration has scourged our communities. Too many lives have been lost, and too many people have been hurt as a result of illegal immigration,” he said on Wednesday.
The CFO said that Florida has already made it harder for truck drivers who can’t read English to work and has taken steps to keep illegal immigrants out of important industries. However, the state needs keep being aggressive.
“Florida has led the nation in fighting back against the mess that the Biden administration created, but we must keep our foot on the gas and continue to disincentivize illegal aliens from coming to our state,” he said. “I am proud to announce my anti-illegal immigration legislative priorities, and I look forward to working with the legislature and the Governor to get these proposals passed.”
According to Ingoglia, his department has already seen results. In the past year, his agency has arrested 26 immigrants who were living in the country illegally on charges related to financial crimes. He added that four of them were charged with insurance fraud schemes that cost $800,000. He added that these cases show why financial enforcement needs to be part of the bigger immigration issue.
One of the main parts of his strategy is to keep illegal immigrants from getting help with down payments from the state. According to Ingoglia, similar advantages in states like New York and California have put a burden on public resources and led to illegal immigration. The DeSantis government in Florida doesn’t allow this kind of help right now, but Ingoglia stressed the necessity to make the ban law.
“You never know what the future of the state of Florida is going to look like,” he said.
His plans also include blocking illegal immigrants to get any state-sanctioned licenses through the Department of Financial Services. That might mean taking away licenses that have already been given out, depending on what lawmakers decide. He also wants to make it such that CDL final tests are only given in English and that illegal immigrants are not eligible for workers’ compensation as covered employees.
Insurance firms will also be affected. Ingoglia wants insurance companies to be accountable if a policyholder living in the state illegally gets into a car accident. He argues this move will make it less appealing for illegal immigrants to buy insurance in Florida.
Several Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Kiyan Michael from Duval County and Sen. Jonathan Martin from Fort Myers, stood next to Ingoglia as he announced the plan. Michael said she backs the campaign because she has seen what happens when people come to the US illegally. She complimented state leaders for being tougher, saying they are doing so “to protect the law-abiding citizens of Florida.”
The push comes as Florida’s crackdown on illegal immigration grows. In the last few years, the state has made it harder to check employment, raised the penalties for transporting people who are in the country illegally, and worked more closely with federal officials during enforcement operations. State officials have also stressed the need of following federal immigration laws, saying that full compliance closes gaps and strengthens the state’s case in court.
Ingoglia’s new ideas show that Florida will keep trying to stop illegal immigration by using as many tools as possible, including financial, regulatory, and legal ones. How lawmakers act in the next session will decide how far the state goes with this plan in the coming months.
