TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The state of Florida is taking immigration enforcement in the trucking industry a step further.
A bill introduced in the Florida Senate would, if passed, require law enforcement officers to take certain persons operating commercial motor vehicles into custody and facilitate the transfer of such persons into the custody of a federal immigration agency. The bill also requires the impoundment of a commercial motor vehicle and require the owner of an impounded commercial motor vehicle to pay a fine and certain costs and fees, and could prohibit certain motor carriers from operating in the state of Florida.
The bill proposes the fine to come in at $50,000, according to the text of the bill.
The bill was introduced by Florida Republican Senator Don Gaetz of Pensacola.
“I’m mad at the motor carriers who would hire him,” Gaetz told a Tallahassee television station regarding the driver involved in a deadly crash in Fort Pierce over the summer. “I’m mad at the people who would put their loads in carriers and not do the due diligence to know they’ve got an illegal driving the truck.”
“I want to make sure we don’t have illegal drivers and drivers who don’t know what they’re doing driving dangerously on the roads of northwest Florida,” Gaetz added.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
