Florida Democrat Votes to Block Migrants’ ID Cards: ‘Slap in the Face’

A Florida Democrat spoke out about her decision to vote in favor of a bill banning certain forms of photo identification for undocumented immigrants.

On Monday, the Florida State House voted 81-32 in favor of House Bill 1451, which would ban “counties & municipalities, respectively, from accepting certain ID cards or documents that are knowingly issued to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States as a form of identification.” This comes in the wake of initiatives in certain Southern Florida jurisdictions that have seen these sorts of IDs accepted, though, as noted by Florida Politics, they stopped receiving funding last year.

The bill will next go before the Florida State Senate on Tuesday where it will likely pass, given the chamber’s 28-12 makeup in favor of Republicans.

While the House vote on the bill fell largely along party lines, State Representative Kim Daniels of Jacksonville opted to vote in favor of the bill, citing the case of her own husband, a Nigerian immigrant who she said just recently received his visa.

“I’m going to vote up on this bill, and the reason why is my heart burns,” Daniels said during the vote. “Because I feel like it’s a slap in the face for people like me, who my husband has been documented for two years, and he’s finally gotten his visa this week.”

She also stressed that she was not necessarily agreeing with the arguments in favor of the bill put forward by Republicans, or those against it from Democrats, but was strictly voting based on her personal situation. She did, however, accuse critics of the bill of trying to give “free rides” to undocumented migrants and said she was “tired of being quiet.”

“Just because you vote up on this bill, doesn’t mean it’s hatred,” Daniels said. “Everybody ain’t hating. You don’t know what people are going through.”

Newsweek reached out to Daniels’ office via email on Monday for comment. Any responses received will be added to this piece in a later update.

Democrat State Representative Anna Eskamani decried the bill ahead of Monday’s vote, citing examples from across the country of “community IDs” provided to undocumented migrants that help them access certain social services. These IDs, it was noted, do not allow the migrants to legally vote or operate automobiles. State Representative Angie Nixon, additionally, argued against the bill on the basis that the U.S. had “stolen land,” with most being “descendants of illegal immigrants.”