CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE

Florida to Require Death Penalty for Migrants Convicted of Capital Crime

The provision is expected to face legal challenges.

Florida lawmakers passed legislation Thursday that will make the death sentence mandatory for undocumented immigrants convicted of a capital crime in the state, like murder or the sexual abuse of a young child. The requirement of a death sentence, as opposed to each case being weighed by a jury, challenges Supreme Court precedent from the 1970s that determined a mandated death penalty was unconstitutional. The Miami Herald reports the law, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis soon, will likely be challenged in court. The provision is one of many against migrants given the OK by Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature this week. Also passed was the repealing of in-state tuition for migrants, the creation of a state charge with a minimum prison sentence of nine months for any undocumented migrant who enters the state, and a requirement that all law enforcement officers report the detainment of a migrant to federal immigration authorities. Republicans in Florida said they moved to pass legislation to get the state in line with Donald Trump’s immigration priorities.