TAMPA, Fla. — One of Florida's most stringent anti-immigration bills just passed the Florida Senate with a 83-36 vote, and many medical professionals say Senate Bill 1718 could cause immigrants to hesitate when seeking care in the state.

What You Need To Know

  • Senate Bill 1718 recently passed the Florida Legislature on a 83-36 vote 

  • The bill will require businesses with 25 employees or more to use the E-Verify system to confirm a new employee’s employment eligibility

  • It will also require health care providers who take Medicaid to collect data on patients’ citizenship status

  • Bill sponsor Sen. Blaise Ingoglia said Senate Bill 1718 will help counter the mounting border crisis

  • Dr. Yared Vazquez opened his medical office in Lutz a year ago and fears the bill, once signed into law, will make people hesitant to seek help

Recalling the time when he realized he wanted to be a physician, Dr. Yared Vazquez said helping people has always been second nature.

“We would go on these health runs with dad when I was a young kid," he said. "Somebody would have an issue and he was there with his EMT bag and we would try and solve a whole bunch of issues with that."

Going from learning from his dad to owning his own health care office, Vazquez says it’s been a dream come true.

Originally from Puerto Rico, he says being a Latino in this profession allows him to connect with patients in their language and make sure they’re comfortable.

“In any clinic system, there’s always a percentage of people that are either immigrants or in the process of naturalization and getting their U.S. citizenship, so I would say about 5 to 8%,” he said.

Vazquez says about 80% of his patients pay cash, while the remaining 20% use Medicaid.

Over the past year, Vazquez said his clinic has helped people no matter their immigration status — something he says helps to build trust in the community he serves.

It's a trust he fears, though, will diminish following the recent passage of Senate Bill 1718.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, will require private businesses with 25 employees or more to use the E-Verify system to confirm a new employee’s employment eligibility. Failure to do so would result in fines.

It will also prohibit Florida from recognizing drivers licenses issued exclusively to undocumented immigrants.

As for health care providers who accept Medicaid, it will require them to collect data on patients’ citizenship status.

After the vote, Ingoglia issued a statement thanking representatives who helped pass the bill.

“Today, the Florida House and Senate made history with the passage of the strongest, state-led anti-illegal immigration bill meant to counter the mounting border crisis,” he said.

As a health care provider, Vazquez said he took an oath to help people — and he thinks this bill will hurt what every health provider does for the community.

“They will get sick if they don’t have an outlet or a means to get treated," he said. "That creates a public health issue. We need to have an alternative for this population, to be like, ‘Hey, you have pneumonia? You can get taken care of. You need a vaccination? You can get taken care of, while you sort out your immigration status.'”

Vazquez said a scenario where someone forgoes treatment as a result of Senate Bill 1718 is one of his biggest concerns.