Florida’s arrest of undocumented van driver escalates Mexico’s tensions with DeSantis
Syra Ortiz Blanes, Ana Ceballos
Wed, September 20, 2023 at 5:30 PM EDT
The arrest of a Mexican national accused of transporting undocumented migrants into the state is aggravating relations between Florida and Mexico, whose president and diplomats accuse Gov. Ron DeSantis of being anti-immigrant.
The criminal case against Raquel López Aguilar — an undocumented father of two from the state of Chiapas living in Tampa and working as a roofer — is the first case in which a Mexican national has been charged under a new Florida law targeting people who drive undocumented migrants into the state.
At the direction of President Andres Manuel López Obrador, Mexican diplomatic officials in Florida are ramping up efforts to defend Mexicans accused of violating DeSantis’ new law, including López Aguilar.
“The Mexican government is sending us resources to pay for this case,” said the Mexican consul in Orlando, Juan Sabines, in an interview Wednesday with the Herald/Times while he drove to visit López Aguilar at a jail in Hernando County.
https://news.yahoo.com/florida-arrest-undocumented-van-driver-213018120.html
