Did you know Floridians victimized by illegal aliens may soon receive relief through allowing Florida victims to sue any local law enforcement and governments failing to enforce federal immigration laws?
The Shane Jones Act, officially designated as HB 229 and proposed by Florida House Representative, Berny Jacques (R-Seminole), has proposed a bill, and the legislation aims to hold local law enforcement and governments accountable for immigration enforcement and provide compensation to victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
Some of the key financial penalties include a $10,000 fine on any law enforcement agency that fails to comply with Florida’s requirement to collaborate with federal immigration authorities (ICE), particularly under the 287(g) program. Fines collected would fund a compensation program administered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for victims or families affected by crimes committed by undocumented individuals. This bill also allows the estate of someone killed by an Illegal immigrant to sue local law enforcement or government entities if they violated state statutes (908.11 or 908.103) that prohibit sanctuary policies.
The bill is named after Shane Jones, an Air Force veteran and father of two, who was killed in a 2019 car crash allegedly caused by an undocumented immigrant with multiple prior driving violations. His widow, Nikki Jones, founded The Voice Foundation to support survivors of crimes committed by undocumented individuals and has been a vocal advocate for stricter immigration enforcement. The legislation comes amid a broader state effort to strengthen immigration enforcement, with Florida now having the most 287(g) agreements in the nation, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The bill is currently in the proposal stage and will not be debated until the Florida legislature reconvenes on January 13, 2026, with a potential effective date of July 1, 2026
*Editor’s note, the journalist who wrote this article is also a victim of an Illegal immigrant in New York State where several judges and attorneys including a district attorney sent a City of Batavia law enforcement officer to threaten the journalist’s life. His case has been submitted to the FBI and the U.S Justice Department. His family remaining in NYS continue to be harassed by these same individuals and others associated with them via law enforcement agencies.