(VitalNews.org) – The policies enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida are sending illegal immigrants packing, some of whom are fleeing the state because of new restrictions enacted by DeSantis to crack down on businesses employing undocumented residents.
The new law makes it mandatory for businesses that employ more than 25 people to use E-Verify, an online database, to confirm if the people they are interviewing to hire are legally permitted to work in the country. Democrats are generally opposed to this Republican policy, arguing it’s discriminatory.
The Florida legislation also bans local governments from being able to issue identification documents to anyone who entered the country illegally, and will also require hospitals that receive funding from Medicaid to inquire if their patients are documented.
A reporter for NBC interviewed a few undocumented migrants and asked them about the law in the Sunshine State and how they planned to respond. One accused the governor of breaking families up. Another said he would stay in Florida and look for work as long as possible, but if forced to stop, he would go back to Mexico.
One research center estimates at least 775,000 undocumented residents live in Florida.
In a statement released by DeSantis’ office to NBC, they said that businesses caught exploiting the crisis “by employing illegal aliens instead of Floridians” will face consequences.
DeSantis is now running for president, opposing former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination. The issue of the border will undoubtedly be heavily debated during the primaries and the general election in 2024.
Some critics of DeSantis believe he’s only cracking down harder on immigration to promote his campaign, contrasting his actions in Florida to criticisms of Trump by doing what DeSantis says Trump couldn’t do but promised to do nationally when campaigning in 2016. DeSantis is already going as far as promising “mass deportations” if elected to the White House.
Copyright 2023, VitalNews.org
