“RESCIND YOUR ORDER TARGETING CATHOLIC AND OTHER FAITH AND SECULAR SERVICE PROVIDERS CARING FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN.”
(Spanish version of letter below)
TALLAHASSEE – Members of American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) Action including Paul DiMare, President, DiMare Distribution; Mike Fernandez, Chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners; and Aida Levitan, Chairman of the Board, The Levitan Group, Inc. as well as community leaders including William Diaz, Founder, Casa Venezuela Orlando and Isabel Vinent, Co-Executive Director, Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) today delivered a letter (full text below) to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urging him to veto Senate Bill 1808, rescind his order targeting shelters for immigrant children, and strike out a $12 million budget line to transport children and other immigrants from Florida to another state.
Full Letter: (Spanish version below)
Governor DeSantis: Veto Anti-Immigrant Bills and Policies
Governor DeSantis,
At a time of extraordinary uncertainty, stress and pain, we should all agree that Florida should not be passing policies that hurt children, businesses and every day Floridians already facing extremely high gas and food prices. We ask you to veto Senate Bill 1808.
Senate Bill 1808 would criminalize faith organizations like Catholic Charities for caring for vulnerable unaccompanied migrant children. By denying state licenses to service providers, vulnerable children will be left on the streets and exposed to the threat of human trafficking.
And we certainly should not be wasting $12 million of Florida taxpayer dollars to round up and send children and immigrants to other states in order to advance one’s political ambitions, while devastating families, communities and harming our economic recovery.
Governor, we urge you: veto SB 1808. Rescind your order targeting Catholic and other faith and secular service providers caring for our most vulnerable children. Strike out the proposed shameful waste of taxpayer money to round up and ship immigrants to other states.
Sincerely,
SIGNATORIES:
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Mike Fernandez, CEO, MBF Healthcare Partners
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Tony Argiz, Pedro Pan Participant
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John Rowe, Chairman Emeritus, Exelon Corporation
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Paul DiMare, President, DiMare Distribution
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Dr. Eduardo Padrón, President Emeritus, Miami Dade College; Pedro Pan Participant
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Aida Levitan, Chairman of the Board, The Levitan Group, Inc.
- L. Felice Gorordo, Co-Founder Roots of Hope and CEO, eMergeAmericas
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Isabel Vinent, Co-Executive Director, Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC)
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Bill Lucia, Former Chairman, President and CEO of HMS
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William Diaz, Founder, Casa Venezuela Orlando
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Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Executive Director, Florida Faith Advocacy Office of the Florida Council of Churches
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Paul Cejas, Chairman, PLC Investments, Inc.
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Jorge Figueroa, Former President, Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
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Marialegría Rodriguez, Taconic Fellow
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Enrique Sosa, Retired President, BP Amoco Chemicals
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Stephanie Rakofsky, CEO, Social Work Consultants, Former Director Social Work,South Miami-Baptist Health Hospital
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Ana Valladares, President and CEO, Mujeres Latinas
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Maria Bechily- Hodes, Trustee, Peréz Art Museum (PAMM)
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Jorge Fernandez, Director, GBS Group
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Maria de los Angeles (Nena)Torres, Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies, UIC
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Elena Garcia, Pedro Pan Participant, Retired Staff, Catholic Charities, Palm Beach
- Silvia Figueroa, Pedro Pan Participant
En Español
Gobernador DeSantis,
En un momento de incertidumbre extraordinario, estrés y dolor, todos deberíamos estar de acuerdo en que Florida no debe aprobar políticas que perjudiquen a los niños, las empresas y los floridanos que enfrentan todos los días precios de gasolina y alimentos extremadamente altos. Le pedimos que vete el Proyecto de Ley del Senado 1808.
El Proyecto de Ley 1808 del Senado criminalizaría a las organizaciones religiosas como Caridades Católicas por cuidar a niños vulnerables migrantes no acompañados. Al negar las licencias estatales a los proveedores de servicios, los niños vulnerables quedarán en las calles y expuestos a la amenaza del tráfico de personas.
Y ciertamente no deberíamos estar desperdiciando $12 millones de dólares de los contribuyentes de Florida para recoger y enviar a niños e inmigrantes a otros estados con el fin de promover las ambiciones políticas suyas, mientras devasta a nuestras familias, comunidades y daña nuestra recuperación económica.
Gobernador, le instamos a que: vete la SB 1808; rescinda su orden dirigida a los proveedores de servicios católicos, de otras religiones y seculares que cuidan a nuestros niños más vulnerables; y, elimine el despilfarro vergonzoso propuesto con dinero de los contribuyentes para recoger y enviar inmigrantes a otros estados.
Atentamente,
ABOUT
ABIC Action is the political arm of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a bipartisan coalition of over 1,200+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 16 mostly red and purple states. ABIC Action promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens. ABIC Action works to win bipartisan solutions at the state and federal levels on the way to winning a path to citizenship for as many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants as possible.