{"id":10559,"date":"2023-04-30T03:08:49","date_gmt":"2023-04-30T03:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=10559"},"modified":"2023-04-30T03:08:49","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T03:08:49","slug":"florida-pastors-are-worried-this-immigration-bill-could-infringe-on-religious-liberties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=10559","title":{"rendered":"Florida Pastors Are Worried This Immigration Bill Could Infringe on Religious Liberties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\n“Florida legislators are considering<\/a> several bills that would target undocumented immigrants and the Floridians who interact with them. One of the more controversial measures, which is wrapped<\/a> into Senate Bill 1718, would make it a third-degree felony for Floridians to conceal, harbor, or shield\u2014or transport “into or within” the state\u2014a person who they know “or reasonably should know” is in the United States unlawfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With this legislation, Florida is continuing to crack down on the smuggling of illegal aliens,” said<\/a> Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R\u2013Spring Hill), who introduced S.B. 1718, said<\/a> the bill “should be the model for all 50 states going forward.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S.B. 1718’s supporters have painted the bill as a way to protect Floridians and their rights. But some religious officials in Florida are<\/a> worried<\/a> that if S.B. 1718 passes, their work with undocumented immigrants could be criminalized\u2014something they say would represent a violation of their religious liberties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joel Tooley takes issue with the bill being framed as an anti-trafficking effort. Tooley is a pastor at Melbourne First Church of the Nazarene and a consultant with the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition of evangelical churches and organizations that advocates for immigration reform. S.B. 1718 “is actually a bill that criminalizes normal activities that are irrevocably natural expressions of the work people do as a response to their spiritual calling to show compassion for those in need,” he tells Reason<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Federal law already prohibits<\/a> people from transporting undocumented immigrants “in furtherance of such violation of [immigration] law,” but S.B. 1718 has a lower threshold, applying to more routine activities. The bill would make it a third-degree felony for someone to transport or harbor an undocumented immigrant that they know or suspect is undocumented. Under Florida law, that would be punishable<\/a> by up to five years in prison (and up to 15 years<\/a> if the transported migrant is a minor). The bill wouldn’t apply<\/a> to migrants who overstayed their visas.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Florida Pastors Are Worried This Immigration Bill Could Infringe on Religious Liberties<\/a><\/blockquote>