This week on Florida Matters, we’re talking about the state’s new immigration law and what it means for Floridians.
Senate Bill 1718 is already having an impact, even though it doesn’t go into effect until next month. The new rules aim to crack down on undocumented immigrants and businesses that employ them.
Among other changes, the law requires companies with more than 25 employees to use the federal E-verify system to confirm their workers are eligible to work here. Hospitals that receive medicaid funding will be required to check the immigration status of patients. And anyone who transports someone into Florida who entered the country illegally and who hasn’t been inspected by the federal government could be charged with a felony.
Gov. Ron DeSantis says the point of this new law is to “combat the dangerous effects of illegal immigration.” And he blames the federal government for that.
The law is already having an impact on businesses that rely heavily on migrant labor — like construction and agriculture. As some migrant families are making plans to leave Florida, employers in those industries are reportedly worried about finding enough workers to staff their businesses.
Host Matthew Peddie briefly talked with Estela, a farmworker who came to Florida from Mexico 18 years ago. Translating her words is Griselda Payne with the Farmworker Association of Florida. He met with them at the Farmworker Association office in Apopka, just north of Orlando.
Later in the show, Peddie talks with Samuel Vilchez Santiago, the Florida state director for the American Business Immigration Coalition about how the law could affect businesses and employees and Florida in general.
We'll also hear from USF professor Elizabeth Aranda, who studies immigrant wellbeing, and Nanci Palacios, with Faith In Florida, about immigration policy and the impact of the new law on immigrants — both legal and undocumented — and the organizations that help them.
You can listen to the full conversation by clicking on the “Listen” button above. Or you can listen on the WUSF app under “Programs & Podcasts.
