By Jim Turner

Treasure Coast legislators support the idea floated by state Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart to bring some of the tough, Arizona-style immigration laws to Florida.

But until they can read details about what such a bill would entail, they are reluctant to discuss how such legislation could affect Florida.

“Arizona’s law fits Arizona,” said state Sen. President-elect Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island. “We have asked our staff how a law like that would affect Florida.”

Snyder, who chairs the House Criminal and Civil Justice Committee, has said he is working on legislation that would mirror certain aspects of the controversial immigration law enacted earlier this year in Arizona.

State Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, who has discussed the issue with Snyder, said “the bottom line is we’re a welcoming country, but we need to follow proper procedures of law.”

The Arizona law, signed in April, makes it a state crime to be in the United States without proper documentation and directs local police to detain or arrest individuals they suspect of being illegal immigrants.

The bill also targets those who hire illegal immigrant laborers or knowingly transports them.

Civil-right groups have filed lawsuits and have called for economic boycotts of the state.

Treasure Coast legislators, both Republicans and Democrat, would prefer the federal government enforce immigration laws already on the books, yet say they see a need for the state to act to address illegal immigrants.

They say they would prefer to wait until the bill is filed by Snyder or another legislator later this year before wading into the issue.

Of course, that may not be so easy for Rep. Adam Fetterman, D-Port St. Lucie, and Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, who are expected to face conservative opposition this fall.

“I have an Arizona bill on my computer, waiting for me to get five minutes of free time,” Fetterman said. “I think a whole lot of opinions are floating about without having read it and it’s incumbent upon me to read something before commenting.”

Still, Fetterman, also the general counsel for the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, wasn’t shy about saying he was “troubled” that the federal government needs to enforce the existing laws.

“It doesn’t seem to matter to the administration in office, it doesn’t matter who is in charge, it seems like the federal government does not do the job, therefore I understand the frustration that people in Arizona, Texas and Florida feel,” he said.

Haridopolos, Negron and Mayfield don’t want to infringe upon any citizen’s rights, as has been the charge of opponents of the Arizona law, nor give a pass to anyone who doesn’t seek entry legally.

“My dad was born in Greece, and we’re a country of immigrants,” said Haridopolos, “but we want to make sure people who play the rules get here first and people who cut in line shouldn’t get the same benefits, let alone same citizenship, as those who play by the rules.”

Tags: Florida, immigration law, legislature

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 12:09 pm and is filed under Courts, Crime, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, treasure coast, Vero Beach. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.