Should illegal immigration be enforced in the state of Florida?

Introduction

Florida ranks third among all states in the number of unauthorized immigrants, representing about 3.8 percent of the population and 5.8 percent of the overall labor force in 2009. While their impact on the workforce, government services, the health care industry, crime and the tax base is often debated. It is impossible to calculate with any precise value. The state lawmakers are now considering measures to reduce these numbers.

Half-dozen bills have been filed and, state lawmakers have been holding hearings on immigration reform in preparation for the annual spring session. The get-tough immigration policies hope to persuade the public that meaningful policies can be enacted without violating the civil rights of U.S. citizens, provoking consumer boycotts or to profile legal immigrants whose labor is critical to the state's agriculture and tourism industries. Even though, a Florida law was passed 10 years ago to punish employers who hired illegal workers, state law enforcement officials admit that they've never enforced the law. The law prohibits anyone from knowingly hiring a worker “who is not duly authorized to work by immigration laws or the Attorney General of the United States.”

That number had declined sharply since 2007, when the number of illegal immigrants amounted to about 1.05 million. The decrease might be a result from the Coast Guards' increased efforts along the shores of South Florida. Even though the number is decreasing, there are still a significant number of illegal immigrants making it through the South Florida coastline. From employment to education, construction and housing, Florida's citizens are facing the burden of unlawful burdens by paying taxes for illegal citizens too (Rebecca 2000, 10).

Discussion

The state of Florida announced to tighten its laws to control illegal immigration and give police greater powers to detain people suspected of being undocumented. The legislation would establish an aggravating factor for sentencing, so that if someone commits a crime in Florida is also an illegal immigrant will increase sentences in prison. According to Minister of Justice in Florida, Bill McCollum this legislation will provide new tools to protect Florida's citizens and help combat the current problems created by illegal immigration. He further announced that this is a feasible project will protect the rights of those who are legally in the country, but also illegal. The law would require a police officer "to control whether a person's immigration status is legal or not," explained McCollum. The official explained that to require the immigration status of anyone police must have "reasonable suspicion" that the person is illegally in the United States (Jeffrey 2005, 44).

To avoid any problems, any person, who is not a citizen of the United States, should carry their immigration papers to ensure it is legally in the country, according to the project. "It means that someone has the legal papers showing that," said by McCollum, and reiterated that change would apply the new immigration law in Florida. "If someone has no papers or has no legal status to be ...