Florida GOP Crafting Arizona-Like Law

The controversy over Arizona's immigration law may be coming to the East Coast. Florida Republicans are writing a law based on Arizona's that would give police expanded authority to demand proof of residence from suspects, reports the Miami Herald. "We have significant components from the Arizona bill that I plan to incorporate,'' said state House member William Snyder. "We have the beginnings of it.''

Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican candidate for governor, is helping draft the measure, which could be introduced in the March legislative session. "The reaction is, 'What? This is ridiculous,' '' a Tampa immigration lawyer tells the Herald. "It is supposed to be that you are legal until you are proven guilty. This law is like, `We think you are guilty unless you establish that you are innocent.' ''