According to an NBC News report, illegal aliens are in a state of panic as a result of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s installation of new immigration rules in Florida.
The new rule mandates that companies with more than 25 workers utilize the internet database E-Verify to confirm that any new hires are eligible to work lawfully in the United States. This system, according to critics, has been in existence for a long time, but politicians were reluctant to mandate its usage.
The bill also compels hospitals receiving Medicaid payments to inquire about patients’ legal status and prohibits municipal governments from giving identity cards to undocumented immigrants.
Reporter Guad Venegas of NBC spoke with illegal immigrants about how they intended to handle the new rule.
Jesus, a field laborer from Mexico who has been employed for 18 years, informed Venegas that he would continue to work in Florida for as long as he could but that, if required to leave by authorities, he would go back to his home country.
Another undocumented immigrant said that DeSantis had split up families with the new legislation.
Venegas’ Instagram post on the article appeared to include his political viewpoint.
“The construction, service, and agricultural industries NEED employees like these. Many people are unsure about Ron DeSantis’ and the state’s ability to enforce the legislation,” according to Venegas.
The Florida Policy Institute found that 47% of the state’s agricultural workers were undocumented immigrants, and the research calculated that if they returned to Mexico or moved to other states, the state would suffer an economic loss of $13 billion.
The American Business Immigration Coalition’s state director, Samuel Vilchez Santiago, claimed that “the bill had brought up a climate of terror in which individuals felt vulnerable.”
According to the Pew Research Center, Florida alone is home to up to 775,000 illegal immigrants.
In a statement to NBC News, the governor’s administration claimed that the new limitations were only a reaction to illegal immigration.
The statement added, “Any company that exploits the current situation by hiring illegal aliens rather than Floridians will be held accountable.”
DeSantis has been charged with enforcing immigration laws in order to support his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2025.
