Miami’s Mayor says the city's finest can’t afford to pick up the federal government’s job of enforcing illegal immigration laws.
"We have heard the concerns of the people in the City of Miami," said Mayor Tomas Regalado. "Our residents and businesses fear that harsh immigration bills will create a division between the local community, and harm the image of Miami as a welcoming city for tourists.”
As the end of the state legislative session approaches, the immigration debate draws increased attention and criticism in Florida. Regalado says he is opposed and concerned about the current proposed legislations on immigration enforcement.
Miami city officials say two bills have a good chance of being approved by the Florida legislature. The Senate version (SB 2040) promotes that local law enforcement check the status of someone in custody and turns all local businesses into immigration agents.
However, they say, the House proposed legislation (HB 7089), introduced by Rep. William Snyder from Martin County, is even a closer version to Arizona’s controversial immigration law, as it turns being undocumented into a state crime and grants powers to all state police to ask anyone in Florida for papers who is “reasonably suspicious of being undocumented.”
“We acknowledge that our country is still waiting for a debate on immigration and that the federal government has not taken full responsibility for this issue, but this is not the moment or the best way to act on the question of immigration,” said Regalado.
The Mayor considers turning immigration enforcement into a city, state or county responsibility will have negative impacts on tourism, business, public safety and the community at large.
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"The City of Miami Police Department is not ready to take this task, it will affect their relations with the community and creates increasing burdens on our already strained City budget," Regalado said. "Our city cannot turn its back to its immigrant community. I stand with the residents of Miami and the majority of our State Legislators against laws that promote racial profiling and threaten the future of our economy."
