Florida Bill Seeks to Stop Arrests Of Injured Immigrant Workers

NPR ^ | February 7, 2018 | Michael Grabell & Howard Berkes

[DBeers]

A new bill under consideration by Florida lawmakers would stop insurance companies from dodging workers compensation payouts by aiding in the arrest and deportation of unauthorized immigrants who are injured on the job.

Legislators and advocates have been pushing for the measure since last summer, when ProPublica and NPR documented more than 130 cases in which immigrants who had suffered legitimate workplace injuries were flagged to law enforcement agencies by their employers' insurers. The workers faced felony fraud charges for using a fake ID when they sought medical care. Meanwhile, the insurers often avoided paying the workers' compensation benefits legally due to all employees injured at work.

Some workers were detained by federal immigration agents and deported without getting proper medical treatment for serious injuries.

[Truthoverpower]

I regularly work with Mexicans on my jobs
(Mostly legal by the way )
I Employ the
Exact same safety principles regardless of race
Electrical especially high voltage DC and 480v ac are no joke and will kill you. In a second
I forbid any of my employees to work on anything except 120v hot
Ladders are key as well
Harnesses on big drops
I won’t let anyone get hurt if I can
A human being is a human being

[DBeers]

A human being is a human being

Agreed. In fact, ALL illegal aliens are human beings as are employers who employ them illegally or unwittingly. Another fact, laws are written for human beings, by human beings; laws are obeyed, enforced, ignored, or subverted by human beings...

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

NPR = NOT PROTECTING THE REPUBLIC!!

[wbarmy]

You are correct, the employer is responsible.

Is the insurance agency, who must follow a whole host of legal and actuarial regulations responsible?

What happens to the rights and premiums of the legal, citizen workers?

[snowtigger]

I,also agree with Vendome. The employer is responsible. However, the employer could save himself, if he used e-verify. He would have to prove that he used e=verify before the employee was hired. Failure to fulfill ALL the requirements would result in personal and corporate responsibility,both monetarily and criminally.

That's my opinion of what should happen in these cases. The costs should not be discharged through bankruptcy. IMHO

[Badboo]

BS. If you commit fraud you may not claim benefits. It is a long settled matter of law that criminality erases relief claims on liability. For example if I cut myself on glass from the window I broke to rob your home, I cannot sue you.

Illegal aliens by definition have committed and continue to commit fraud in a myriad of ways. If the employer knows you are illegal or failed to perform due diligence then they have also committed fraud.

An insurance company has every right not to be defrauded.

Where did you come up with that socialist bs you spouted?

[WMarshal]

“As far as legal & financial issues, I think all lawbreakers including employers should be prosecuted in cases such as those the bill attempts to sweep under the carpet.”

I totally agree. I think that employers need to be find much more than they are now for every illegal worker that’s found. In fact employers should be responsible for all court, jail, and deportation costs of their illegal workers as well.. If you take the profit away from hiring illegals it won’t be a problem.

Also there has to be a state somewhere that can refuse to enroll illegal aliens in their public schools and take it all away the Supreme Court that citizens do not have to pay to educate illegal aliens in our public schools. The horrible 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision needs to be overturned. In 1982 the Supreme Court decided in that non-citizen children of illegal immigrants, not citizens but children born in another country and brought into the U.S. by their illegal immigrant parents must be given a free K-12 education.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks DBeers.

...advocates have been pushing for the measure since last summer, when ProPublica and NPR documented more than 130 cases in which immigrants who had suffered legitimate workplace injuries were flagged to law enforcement agencies by their employers' insurers. The workers faced felony fraud charges for using a fake ID when they sought medical care. Meanwhile, the insurers often avoided paying the workers' compensation benefits legally due to all employees injured at work. Some workers were detained by federal immigration agents and deported without getting proper medical treatment for serious injuries.

Check the papers of the "advocates" while we're at it.

[DBeers]

Check the papers of the "advocates" while we're at it.

Agreed. In California they now have illegal alien advocates and I would imagine that in California in addition to illegal alien lawyers there are many illegal aliens 'undocumentedly' now sitting on their lazy asses getting workmans comp and disability...

No doubt, this Florida bill is also about Florida Leftists that just want to catch up with the 'progress' made in California