As the Florida Senate finally agreed in the last days of session to hear a bill to allow in-state tuition for DREAMers, Florida voters should remember Rick Scott’s real record on immigration. Whether promising to bring an Arizona-style anti-immigration law to the state, vetoing a bill to allow the children of undocumented immigrants to access temporary driver’s licenses, or using in-state tuition as an election year pandering trick, Rick Scott is the wrong choice for Latino Floridians.
American Bridge has the recap of Scott’s real record on immigration above.
Background
Rick Scott Promised Voters He Would Bring An Arizona-Style Immigration Law To Florida According to Politifact, “Rick Scott promised voters in 2010 he would bring an Arizona-style law to Florida. Not only that, he used the law as a way to win the support of conservatives who didn’t know the first-time politician very well, pounding his Republican primary opponent Bill McCollum on the issue.” [Politifact, 6/25/12]
June 2013: Rick Scott Vetoed A Bill That Would Have Allowed Children Of Undocumented Immigrants To Get Temporary Florida Driver’s Licenses According to The Miami Herald, “Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have allowed children of undocumented immigrants to get temporary Florida driver’s licenses, a decision that may bolster his standing among immigration hard-liners but could hurt him among Hispanic voters. The vetoed measure, informally known to supporters as the ‘Dream Act Driver License’ law, passed the Legislature by a nearly unanimous vote. It would have applied to young people covered by President Barack Obama’s 2012 policy affecting noncitizens brought to the U.S. illegally as children, which suspended any deportation action against them for a two-year period.” [Miami Herald, 6/4/13]
Scott Said That He Would “Consider” In State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants. According to the Miami Herald’s “Naked Politics” blog, “Pressed three times by Hispanic lawmakers, Gov. Rick Scott stopped short of supporting their No. 1 priority Wednesday: in-state tuition for undocumented children who attend Florida colleges and universities. ‘I’ll certainly consider it,’ Scott told the Florida Hispanic Legislative Caucus. ‘I think tuition is too high.’” [Miami Herald, 2/5/14]
Published: Apr 30, 2014