Last week Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill requiring itNew harsh penalties and restrictionsexistUndocumented immigrants in FloridaAmong other things, employers must use E-Verify to ensure employees are eligible to work in the United States.
According to independent journalist Arturo Domínguez, truck drivers from Latin America threatened to stop their deliveries to and from Florida over the weekend. "Don't come to Florida," said one truckerVibrato-Video.
"Spanish-language social media is on the rise as Latin American truckers call for a boycott and refuse to ship cargo to Florida."Dominguez tweeted on Saturday"Things will get interesting soon."
What does this mean for Florida residents? We know that so far.
Labor shortage in Florida?Is Florida's new SB 1718 immigration law already creating a labor shortage? Hard to say.
“Dangerous and Hostile Environment”:Hispanic group issues travel warning for Florida
Why don't truckers ship to Florida?
During the COVID pandemic, the Trump administration created Title 42, part of the Health Law, to curb immigration in the name of protecting public health. Allows US officials to deny migrants entry to the US-Mexico border. Previously, immigrants could cross the border illegally, apply for asylum and, after screening, were generally allowed to stay while their immigration process was pending. According to Article 42, migrants are sent back to the border and have no right to apply for asylum.
President Joe Biden wanted to end the designation in 2022, but Republicans filed a lawsuit, claiming it was necessary for border security. Title 42 is related to the declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19 andit's over, last week, sparked warnings from Republicans of a massive surge in the border. Biden agrees there could be limits"Chaos for a while"but until nowThe expected increase did not occurThe number of migrants at the border over the weekend has declined since Title 42 ended.
In response to the closure of Title 42, the Florida Legislaturepass a new bill, which has been hailed as necessary by proponents but hailed by critics as cruel and likely to lead to police profiling. It is considered one of the toughest measures a state has taken to stop the arrival of illegal immigrants.
DeSantis is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination soon, speaking from a podium in Jacksonville, reading “Biden Border Crisis.”
"We are preparing for the turbulent times ahead," DeSantis said. "And I think if you have a president who turns a blind eye to what's going on at the border ... you're probably going to see it get worse. We are doing everything we can to protect Florida residents.”
“We protect Florida residents”:DeSantis signs action against illegal immigration, criticizes Biden
What does DeSantis' new immigration law do?
Florida Comprehensive Immigration Law,SB 1718, and tries to stem the flow of illegal immigrants with some of the toughest penalties in the country. Among other things, the new law:
- Employers must verify a new employee's employment eligibility within three business days of the new employee's first day of work.
- Beginning July 1, private employers and all public agencies with 25 or more employees must use the federal electronic verification system to verify the suitability of new employees for employment.
- It requires employers to fire employees who are determined to be "foreign citizens" who are not authorized to work in the United States and makes it illegal for anyone to knowingly hire themselves or others to hire, recruit or even recommend. Carrying out private or public works in the state on behalf of another person, that person.
- Repeal a 2014 law allowing illegal immigrants to practice law in the state.
- Hospitals receiving Medicaid must ask patients whether they are US citizens and legally residing in the country and report this information (excluding personally identifiable information) to the governor on a quarterly and annual basis.
- Foreign driver's licenses issued to "illegal immigrants" will become invalid.
- Forced detention of adults and minors in immigration detention centers (“Immigration Detention Centers”) to provide their DNA to the state.
- It would be a third-degree felony for anyone who knew, or reasonably should have known, that they were transporting immigrants to Florida who had entered the country illegally. Transporting a minor is a second-degree felony.
- Expand Florida law enforcement counterterrorism efforts to include immigration issues.
- They began seizing taxpayers' money for DeSantis' "unlawful alien transportation program," in which he flew about 50 Venezuelan immigrants on two chartered planes from Texas to Martha's Vineyard on the island of Massachusetts.
afterSusan Pai, an immigration attorney in Jacksonville, Fla., the law also applies to people who legally enter the country on visitor and student visas but are not eligible to work.
What does SB 1718 do?Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs comprehensive immigration law into law
Recruitment will change:What Florida's new immigration law means for employers, hospitals and the workforce
further:State selects contractors for DeSantis resettlement program as Florida cracks down on illegal immigration
Are truckers boycotting Florida?
We're still not sure if they are. Dominguez retweeted several videos of truckers calling for a boycott.
In one of the TikTok videos, a trucker named @robertooleo88oficial says (translated from Spanish): "Trucker, don't come to Florida. Let's unite as latinos and defend our attacked latino brothers. This is a very stupid law that fuels hatred and discrimination. My truck doesn't move. Don't come to Florida. Nobody comes to Florida.
Another supports it.
"I'm not going to Florida. I'm with you,” said @elarracas91.1, translated from Spanish. “I'm a trucker and Cuban. The race needs help and here we go. Power."
"Look how many truckers are behind me," he said. “We had rows and rows of truckers.
"Think of one thing. Florida is more in and out than in, so if we don't bring anything to Florida. Tell me? What will you eat? Let's see what the governor will do. pick-up truck stuff to those bad racists out there?”
@sanchezmanuel33 pointed to a similar protest a few years ago when truckers supported a Cuban trucker in an accident in Colorado and called on the truckers to unite in support of immigrants.
"What they're doing in Florida isn't right," he said. "I'll say it again: My truck doesn't go to Florida. I'm not going to Florida. So don't send boats to Florida, support immigrants. We are all immigrants.”
Immigration advocates say Florida's focus is on a community already struggling to survive under new criminal penalties and restrictions. Immigrants living in Florida, both legal and illegal, represented a significant portion of the state's workforce, the leader added. Now that out-of-state migrants' licenses are not valid in Florida, some fear they will be profiled and jailed.
"I get a lot of calls from people asking if they should leave the state," Pai said. "The undocumented community is afraid to even go to work."
Are Florida Grocery Store Shelves Empty Due to Trucker Strike?
A video posted on TikTok on Sunday and shared on other social networks showed empty refrigerated shelves. "No groceries, unfortunately these truckers aren't kidding when they say they don't ship anything to Florida!"
However, this isVideo posted by PJ's JourneyIt hasn't been verified and there are boxes full of groceries with out-of-stock groceries on one side, but it doesn't explain why those particular shelves are empty. Grocery stores often empty shelves for cleaning and restocking or when there is a mechanical problem with the refrigeration. The store was not named in the video and no similar outages have been reported at other Florida grocery stores.
What is AOC's response to the Florida trucker strike?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said any utility line problems in Latin America were the fault of DeSantis and Florida lawmakers.
Anti-immigration policies are reaping the seeds they sown."She tweeted on Saturday"DeSantis' Florida State will find out soon.
“There is such a great need in America right now, especially in the workplace. Yet lawmakers (on all sides) take our immigrant communities for granted.
"Never mind. It's time to stop biting those gnawing hands."
How many immigrants live and work in Florida?
About 21 percent of Florida's population was foreign-born, according to the Immigration Policy Institute. The Florida Farmworkers Association, a grassroots nonprofit that advocates for social and environmental justice toward farm workers, estimates that about 300,000 Florida farm workers reside illegally in the state, accounting for about 60 percent of the state's farm workers.
Zusammenarbeit: USA TODAY Network – John Kennedy, Florida Capital Bureau; Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Magazine