A Republican Florida state lawmaker proposed a bill Monday that would open up opportunities for families to sue some local governments over killings committed by illegal immigrants.
The Shane Jones Act, which would expand on the Sunshine State’s staunch immigration laws, was authored in honor of its namesake who was killed in a traffic accident involving an alleged illegal immigrant in 2019.
Rep. Berny Jacques, who introduced the bill, said that Jones’ widowed wife Nikki helped inspire the bill, which would impose harsher restrictions on illegal immigrants and even law enforcement officials violating the state’s immigration policies.
“For too long, American families have been left to pick up the pieces after their loved ones were taken from them by crimes that could have been prevented,” Nikki Jones said in a press release.
“The Shane Jones Act represents a turning point — finally holding local governments accountable when they fail to enforce immigration laws,” she said.
The bill outlines a new structure for families to sue local governments over the death of a loved one, but only if an illegal immigrant was found to be responsible.
It also proposes a $10,000 fine for out-of-compliance law enforcement agencies that would go towards the compensation for the grieving families.
Jacques insisted that the current immigration laws in Florida “requires that law enforcement agencies collaborate with federal immigration enforcement officers,” according to a press release.
In the Sunshine State, the law requires that police agencies use their “best efforts” to work with ICE, but none are so far required to enter into 287(g) agreements with the federal agency.
The state further argued that no city or police department can cancel the partnerships once they’ve been agreed to and that doing so would be an act of defiance against Florida’s mandate.
As of May 2025, all but 10 states have at least one active agreement between ICE and local law enforcement in effect.
