Governor Ron DeSantis announced today the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has published a list of out-of-state license classes that are invalid in Florida as of July 1, 2023, in accordance with Senate Bill (SB) 1718, on the FLHSMV public website.
Why this matters: Though some state lawmakers have tried to assure undocumented workers with valid out-of-state driver’s licenses that the state wouldn’t enforce the law and profile Latinos, the governor is sending a message that they aren’t welcomed in Florida. Thousands of workers have left the state.
- Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Vermont and Rhode Island allow workers to have driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. However, Florida will no longer accept them.
“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,” said Gov Ron DeSantis in the announcement.
Dig Deeper: Earlier this year, Governor DeSantis signed SB 1718. The bill prohibits the issuance of a driver’s license to anyone who does not provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S. and specifies that out-of-state driver licenses issued exclusively to illegal aliens are invalid in Florida.
- DeSantis and his department heads insist the law makes Florida safer.
FDLE Executive Director Dave Kerner believes the new law discourages Mexican drug cartels from setting up in Florida. He said, “It communicates our state policy that 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.”