MIAMI – Monday, April 4, marking the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the Senate Judiciary Committee passes SB 2040, one of the Arizona-like bills proposed in the legislative session.
SB 2040 was voted and approved in front of over 100 Floridians who traveled from different parts of the state to attend the Committee meeting and express their concerns about this bill. At the beginning of children’s week at the State Capitol, immigrant families brought children and youth who have lost their parents due to already unfair and tough immigration policies. Close to thirty community members were registered to speak against the bill and were not allowed to by decision of the Committee Members.
“They can deny us to speak today, but they wont be able to turn their back against us when we come back, because we will,” says María Rodriguez, Executive Director from the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “The fight against anti-immigrant legislations in this session is not over, and we still have a great threat at the House with Rep. Snyder’s bill”
The bill was approved with two new amendments. While these change the most controversial elements, members of the We Are Florida! campaign keep questioning the pertinence of these bills.
“Even though some of the changes made were positive, we still don’t understand why is Florida having this debate. At a time when states such as Mississippi, Kentucky, and even Arizona have decided that they were not going to take up any immigration bills this year, how is Florida different? Why Florida? Why now?
