The state of Florida is once again the target of mockery and ridicule thanks to the Republican Party.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention, Attorney General Pam Bondi was not coy her support for Donald Trump. In fact, Bondi praised Trump’s willingness to terminate President Obama’s immigration relief program known as DACA, enforce our broken immigration system so that “legal immigrants [can] bless this nation with their talents and their dreams,” along with Trump’s plan to “take control of our borders.”
Republicans in the audience cheered Bondi as she repeated pieces of Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, which is now the Republican Party’s platform.
However, are Republicans aware that Bondi kept her immigrant bashing comments to herself as Governor Rick Scott signed into a law a measure that currently provides in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants in Florida?
That is right. During Florida’s 2014 Legislative Session, Pam Bondi was out of the frame as Rick Scott promoted legislation that benefits immigrants covered by the DACA program – or as Bondi call it “Obama’s unconstitutional order.”
I should know because I was there when Rick Scott signed the bill into law.
Pro-migrant legislation was being signed into law by the Governor, and she just let it go through without a challenge for the sake of helping the Republican Party win over a slice of Latino voters during the 2014 election cycle.
Again, here is Governor Rick Scott, talking about his bill benefiting undocumented immigrants like myself.
TBT to @FLGovScott recognizing immigrants & signing in-state tuition legislation for DACA beneficiaries in #Florida. pic.twitter.com/dzTRbY0hJ6
— Juan Escalante (@JuanSaaa) July 21, 2016
Bondi’s silence was notable then as it was a year later in 2015 when her office decided to join a partisan lawsuit that stalled President Obama’s immigration relief programs known as DAPA and DACA+.
As reported by the Orlando Sentinel:
Attorney General Pam Bondi is outspoken about her efforts to reduce or eliminate human trafficking, prescription drug abuse and consumer fraud.
But when it comes to defending her decision to join a lawsuit with other states aimed at blocking President Obama’s executive order on immigration, she’s been silent.
But Bondi is not the only one worthy of criticism. Governor Rick Scott, whose speech was fact-checked by Politifact, also took seconds to promote Donald Trump’s border wall proposal during his speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.
I guess he must have forgotten about me, my brothers, and the thousands of immigrant students who benefit from in-state tuition thanks to his actions in 2014.
All in all, Florida continues to be home to some of the biggest Republican flip-floppers on immigration. We are represented in the U.S. Senate by Marco Rubio, a Donald Trump supporter who walked away from his immigration reform policy, Rep. Jeanette Nuñez, another Donald Trump supporter who sponsored in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants in Florida, Helen Aguirre Ferré, chairwoman of the Miami-Dade College who thinks Donald Trump “is not racist,” and countless other Latino Republicans who are caving to the Trump Effect and putting partisanship over hardworking immigrants.
