What changes for the undocumented in Florida with the new law that causes panic among many immigrants

the governorate of Florida has cataloged it as “the strongest legislation against illegal immigration” in USA and its effects worry many.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law last week that makes life difficult for undocumented immigrants in the state and establishes harsh penalties not only for those who employ them, but even for those who transport them in their vehicles.

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Figures from the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington DC, estimate the number of undocumented migrants residing in Florida at 772,000.

Despite the legal restrictions it faces, This migrant population plays an important role in the functioning of the Florida economy, especially in areas such as agriculture, construction or hospitality.where they take on jobs that American workers often don’t want to do, at least for the wages employers are offering.

BBC Mundo tells you what are the most important changes that this new regulation brings with it.

Employment and mobility

The law signed by DeSantis establishes that all companies with more than 25 workers must confirm the legal status of their new employees through the E-Verify system -a website that allows verifying the employability of an immigrant from a legal point of view- as of July 1, when the rule comes into force.

Employers who fail to use this system face various penalties, including possible revocation of their employer license, as well as imposition of other penalties.

Construction is a sector that employs many undocumented migrants. (GETTY IMAGES).

The new regulation penalizes those who “knowingly and voluntarily” transport these immigrants without papers to Florida (from outside the state or the country).

It is established that transporting these people for the first time -and without being minors- will be punished as a third degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to US$5,000 per person transferred.

Those who are repeat offenders, transfer minors or groups of more than five immigrants may be considered responsible for a second degree crime, which may imply up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to US$10.00 per person.

The mobility of these migrants without papers will also be affected by a provision that establishes that they will not be able to use licenses issued by other states of the country to drive in Florida and that if they cannot show that their presence was legally authorized when they were licensed in another state, then they are prohibited from operating vehicles in this state.

Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia have regulations that allow driver’s licenses to be issued to undocumented immigrants, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In addition to these limitations, the new legislation prohibits counties and municipalities from allocating funds to any person or organization so that they can issue identity or other documents to undocumented aliens.

Finally, the new law requires hospitals that care for patients covered by Medicaid, the health program for low-income people, to include a question on their admission forms to find out if a patient is a U.S. citizen, a legal resident, or an unauthorized alien in the country.

Health centers must submit to the State Health Care Administration Agency a quarterly report detailing the number of patients in each category who were treated in the emergency room or who were admitted during the corresponding period.

Economic impact

Since DeSantis signed the law on Wednesday, May 10, the local press in Florida has published numerous reports according to which some of these undocumented workers have stopped coming to their workplaces and they are even moving to other states for fear of being impacted by the new regulation.

DeSantis is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2024. (GETTY IMAGES).

“Many workers are leaving, thinking they are going to be deported, so they are going to other states,” Jose, a construction company worker, told CBS in Miami.

Gina Fraga, a lawyer specializing in migration, warned that the new law could generate lack of labor in the agricultural sectorin which there is concern that they could receive fines and even prison terms for transporting workers who may not have the specific documents required of them.

“Everyone is in a panic because nobody knows what can happen,” Fraga told WPTV television.

He also stressed that there is currently a 10-month delay in the authorization of work permits.

The Florida Farm Workers Association (FWAF), a non-profit organization with more than 10,000 members belonging to minorities -mainly Latinos-, said that the regulation signed by DeSantis is one of the most important immigration laws. cruel.

Much of the Farmworkers in Florida come from Latin America. (GETTY IMAGES).

“Who will continue to work installing roofs, providing janitorial services, restaurant food service, landscaping, residential and commercial building construction, nursing care in our hospitals and nursing homes, and much more? Who will harvest the crops we eat every day and depend on for our livelihood?” the organization asked in a statement.

Since DeSantis signed the new law, dozens of videos have been posted on TikTok in which alleged truck drivers are calling not to transport merchandise to Florida, as a measure to protest this new law. BBC Mundo was unable to confirm the veracity or scope of this supposed boycott.

This is not the first time that the governor of Florida has been the focus of criticism for his policy against the undocumented.

In September 2022, the Florida authorities chartered a private plane to transport fifty migrants – most of them Venezuelans – from Texas to the luxurious island of Martha’s Vineyard, generating strong controversy.

The new law gives Florida’s migrant resettlement program an additional $12 million for operations of this type.

DeSantis has justified this new law by the supposed chaos created on the US border by the policies of President Joe Biden, whom he accuses of failing to comply with his obligation to protect US territory.

There are analysts who link these and other recent measures promoted by DeSantis, such as the law that prevents students of any level in Florida schools from being educated on gender issues -baptized by its critics as “don’t say gay”-, with the supposed aspirations of the president to opt for the presidential candidacy of the Republican Party.

Source: Elcomercio