Florida Implements Stringent Immigration Laws | New Penalties for Hiring Unauthorized Immigrants
As of Saturday, some 200 laws will be in effect, some of which stipulate harsh penalties against employers of migrants.
Tallahassee, Florida – Employers who hire immigrants who entered the United States without legal authorization will face stiff penalties, and gun owners will enjoy greater freedoms in Florida starting Saturday when 200 new laws take effect, many of which Gov. Ron DeSantis will highlight in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis, who maintains an uncompromising stance on immigration, has said he will finish building the border wall with Mexico promised by former President Donald Trump. He has engaged in political maneuvers such as sending immigrants from Texas to states governed by Democrats, supposedly before they can reach Florida.
With the new employer sanctions, DeSantis will be able to show that he is not just paying lip service, but has sanctioned what his detractors call the toughest state anti-immigrant law in the entire country. DeSantis has echoed the immigration policies of Trump, who endorsed him to win the state governorship in 2018 and who will now face off for the Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis is Trump’s chief rival for 2024.
The new law expands worker verification, among other measures. The governor’s office attributes what it calls the crisis at the border to President Joe Biden’s administration.
“Any business that exploits this crisis by employing illegal aliens instead of Florida residents will be held accountable for it,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern maintained.
But in a state where major industries – tourism, agriculture and construction – depend on immigrant labor, many fear that the economy will suffer disruption as employers are already having difficulty finding workers. Florida’s unemployment rate is 2.6%.
Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Florida director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, said 400,000 “undocumented immigrants” work in the state and there are far fewer applicants than jobs.
“We have an extreme lack of workers,” especially in construction, services and agriculture,” he stressed. “That’s why there’s a lot of fear throughout the state … that the new law will turn out to be a disaster.”
The law forces all businesses with 25 or more employees to use the E-Verify program to document new employees’ eligibility to work or face loss of business license or fines of $1,000 per day per employee.
It also forces hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask patients whether they are U.S. citizens or have legal authorization to live in the United States and voids driver’s licenses issued by other states to people who entered the country without legal authorization.
On the other hand, anyone authorized to carry a firearm will be able to do so concealed in public without a permit. Concealed carry permits will continue to be issued, but those who choose not to apply will not be subject to background checks or training.
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