Aside from Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been the most proactive state-level official trying to reverse President Joe Biden’s disastrous open-border policies.
And the Mexican government is not happy about it, as shown by its response to a new law that took effect on Saturday.
In May, Florida’s Republican governor signed a bill that created several new policies regarding illegal immigration.
Among them were provisions that require private employers with 25 or more employees to use the E-Verify system for new employees, make it a third-degree felony for an illegal immigrant to knowingly use a false identification document, and prohibit local governments in Florida from funding any person or organization to issue an ID card or other document to someone who does not have proof of being in the U.S. lawfully.
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In response, as reported by the website JustTheNews.com, the Mexican consulates in Miami and Orlando expressed their outrage over the new statute.
The Mexican government accused DeSantis and supporters of the bill of “xenophobic and white nationalist sentiments” and claimed it would “lead to acts of discrimination and racial profiling.”
The Mexican government also said that while it “respects” the rights of states like Florida to make their own laws, it would not cooperate with this new measure by assisting Mexican immigrants into America, regardless of their legal status.
“While the Government of Mexico respects the processes and measures taken by state legislatures in the United States, it believes that SB 1718 will affect the human rights of thousands of Mexicans, including children, and will exacerbate hostile environments, which may lead to hate crimes and acts against the migrant community. The measure does not reflect the migrants’ valuable contribution to the economy, society and culture of Florida and the country,” the consulates said in a press release.
“Criminalization is not the way to solve the issue of undocumented immigration. The existence of transnational labor markets, and the intense ties of trade and tourism between Mexico and Florida, cannot be overlooked by measures inspired by xenophobic and white nationalist sentiments.”
In the statement, the Mexicans added that such policies would undermine the “bilateral relationship” between Mexico and the U.S. in collaborating on the border crisis.
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“Both countries have made efforts to work together to build pathways of tolerance, security, and respect,” the consulates said. “SB 1718 distances them from these efforts and provokes feelings of intimidation and fear in the migrant community.”
“On behalf of the Government of Mexico, the Foreign Ministry will use all resources at its disposal to defend the rights and dignity of the Mexicans in Florida. We will be enhancing our consular assistance and protection and legal advice, and we will continue to look out for the interests of our entire community, regardless of their immigration status.”
“With the support of civil society organizations involved in defending human rights, Mexico will identify and register potential cases of violations of the rights of Mexican nationals,” the statement continued.
“Mexico’s consular staff will be trained in the scope of SB 1718, and in publicizing messages and recommendations through the ‘Know and Exercise Your Rights’ strategy, which seeks to educate our community about their basic rights, in order to provide the highest level of support to victims who take legal actions against acts of harassment, violence, abuse, discrimination of all kinds and racial profiling.”
“These actions are the part (sic) of the Mexican Government’s strategy to demand respect for human rights and to continue to look after the interests and wellbeing of all Mexicans abroad, regardless of their immigration status.”
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