(NewsNation) — Florida has outlawed driver’s licenses given to undocumented immigrants in other states. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles published a list of licenses from five states that are invalid as of July.
Certain forms of identification from Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont are no longer accepted in the Sunshine State, according to the agency’s site.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this is a way to “protect” Florida residents.
“Someone who is in our country illegally and has violated our laws should not possess a government-issued ID which allows them access to state-funded services and other privileges afforded to lawful residents,” DeSantis shared in a news release. “The Biden administration may continue to abdicate its responsibilities to secure our border, but Florida will stand for the rule of law. Even if the federal government refuses, Florida will act decisively to protect our citizens, our state, and our country.”
Earlier this year, DeSantis signed SB 1718, which his office calls the “strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation in the country.”
The law specifies that out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants are invalid in Florida, and that those presenting one of the invalid licenses will be subject to penalties. It went into effect Saturday.
Dave Kerner, the executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said his team along with the Florida Highway Patrol are prepared to “strictly enforce” the new law.
“Florida will not provide incentives to undocumented immigrants, while reminding criminal cartels and those who are planning to unlawfully cross our national border that Florida should not be their destination of choice,” Kerner said in a news release. “Florida will not accept driver licenses from those who cannot provide proof of lawful presence in the United States. By doing this, we commit to a safer Florida.”
Meanwhile, those in opposition of the law are taking action. Five civil rights groups say they are teaming up to sue the GOP presidential candidate over the law.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and American Immigration Council announced Saturday plans to file a federal lawsuit to challenge SB 1718.
The coalition claims the “anti-immigrant law poses a threat to the rights and well-being of every individual in the state.”
“We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: SB 1718 is an attack on the fabric of our state,” Amien Kacou, staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida, said. “It is an extreme act of state government overreach aimed at inciting fear and criminalizing immigrant communities — from families going about their daily lives to workers desperately needed for our economy, especially during a labor shortage. This law is already inflicting long-term damage on the state for the sake of short-term partisan gains.”
A representative from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Immigrant Justice Project insists the law is unconstitutional.
“SB 1718 is unconstitutional and undermines our democracy. The sole and exclusive power to regulate immigration policy is granted by the U.S. Constitution to the federal government, not the states,” Paul Chavez, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Immigrant Justice Project, said. “Gov. DeSantis’ attempt to create a separate, competing state-run immigration enforcement system impedes the federal government’s ability to do its job.”
DeSantis’ office said the list of invalid out-of-state licenses is subject to change depending on possible revisions to identification requirements in other states.
