Senator Proposes Bill to Ease Undocumented Immigrants' Access to Benefits

A state senator has heeded calls to help Florida's undocumented workers after news stories spotlighted their plight after work injuries. Senate Bill 1568, by Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, would rescind a 2003 law that made it a felony to apply for workers' compensation benefits using false identification. Many undocumented immigrants apply for jobs using false Social Security numbers. When they apply for benefits after work injuries, that Social Security number often winds up on a workers' compensation form. Even if a third-party administrator copied the number onto ...