TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The 'We Are Florida' campaign and other organizations came together to stop a federal immigration enforcement bill from passing in the Senate.
"I'm hoping that the senate stands strong and doesn't let this happen because I think this is not good for the community, it's not good for the community leaders, said Farm Workers Self Help executive director Margarita Romo.
Many people from around the state filled the room during the Senate meeting to oppose Senate Bill 308. The bill prohibits sanctuary policies from being implemented in the state of Florida.
Sponsors of the legislation believe it ensures that criminals will be keep off our streets and keep Americans safe. However, many who oppose the bill say it's unconstitutional and targets innocent people.
"It's a preemption which will be unconstitutional," said Julio Calderon, with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. "The state would basically tell local authorities to do this work and in many cases all of these authorities don't want to do this work. We have limited resources and we don't want to spend our limited resources arresting people that might not in many cases even commit a crime."
Bill co-sponsor senator Aaron Bean has postponed the bill Tuesday and will bring it up at a later date.
