Republicans Urge Immigrants to Stay in Florida, Fearing New Law's Impact

[LetMyPeopleVote]

DeathSantis' stunt immigration bill is causing a major backlash and issues for Florida. This bill is designed to scare people and it is working

Link to tweet

https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-urge-immigrants-stay-florida-fearing-new-laws-impact-1804640?amp=1

A handful of Florida Republicans have implored immigrants to stay in the state in the wake of recent laws signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Last month, Florida enacted a new bill, SB 1718, that is set to introduce strict new anti-immigration rules once it goes into full effect on July 1. Among its provision are requirements that businesses with 25 employees or more utilize E-Verify, a program that tracks whether individuals are legally able to work in the U.S., and that hospitals collect certain information on undocumented patients.

The E-Verify requirement has caused alarm among Republicans with constituencies close to the border with Mexico or that use considerable migrant labor. With the system in place, there is worry about businesses not being able to tap into the immigrant labor force to which they are accustomed, resulting in mass labor shortages.

On Monday morning, GOP Florida State Reps. Alina Garcia, Rick Roth and Juan Fernandez-Barquin spoke at an event in Hialeah, Florida, about the impending implications of SB 1718. At one point, Roth, as captured in a video shared by political activist Thomas Kennedy, said that the bill is meant to "scare" immigrants and urged those in attendance to convince their immigrant acquaintances to remain in the state.

"This bill is 100 percent supposed to scare you," Roth said. "I'm a farmer and the farmers are mad as hell. We are losing employees that are already starting to move to Georgia and other states. It's urgent that you talk to all your other people and convince them that you have resources, state representatives, other people that can explain the bill to you."

[Biophilic]

1. These law makers are true scum bags.

Not only did they vote for this law, but they are now asking these people to risk fines, jail, and possibly deportation. Scumbags is mild. I just can’t believe they have the nerve to do this. Everyone else knew what would happen if they passed that law. Scumbags.

[tanyev]

5. Yep. You can bet not a single one of them would step up to help workers

that did get rounded up due to this law.

[drray23]

2. Even when trying to be contrite these disgusting racists manage to make it worse

It's urgent that you talk to all your other people and convince them that you have resources, state representatives, other people that can explain the bill to you."

Implying that the immigrants are too stupid to understand the bill and they need handlers to tell them what this means.

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

Chutzpah

[usonian]

4. Sticks and stones can break our bones ...

and you expect us to hang around and beg for more?

Chíngate, cabrón

y las putas en las que montaste

[Nictuku]

6. Hrrm

I dislike racism and DeSantis.

But I am supportive of the E-Verify program. I believe that Immigrants deserve a living wage, and that they should also pay taxes.

The people who say they hate the immigrants the most, are the same people who want their cheap (under the table) labor.

So I think that the E-Verify program will help to achieve that. It puts more pressure on the Employers to Do the Right Thing (pay decent wages), bring everything out into the sunlight.

I'm open-minded to hearing if I have this entirely wrong or not.

[Red Mountain]

9. You want to REALLY use e-verify?

Require all businesses with over 25 employees to run ALL employees annually, not just new hires.

I used to work for a business that was about 1/3 undocumented. Grandfathered in since they were there before e-verify came on the scene. Everybody knew it. They were also they most experienced, hardworking and paid the least.

Were they exploited? They wanted to work. The business couldn't have replaced them locally and definitely benefited from the lower wages they were able to pay them. Some of them were paid pretty well, some were stuck at $11/hour after 15+ years.

Our immigration system is broken and creating weird situations like this one.

We have a labor problem in this country. And an immigration problem. They are linked. I can't help but think if all businesses of ANY size were required to use e-verify annually (and stiff financial/criminal penalties for failure to use it for owners/officers were imposed) two things would happen:

We'd get a quick sense of how big the problem really is

and

there would very quickly be a politically united solution to fix immigration and get labor where it needs to be.

[Nictuku]

10. There is much I don't know about it

I'm not an Employer, nor am I an Immigrant.

Thank you for the info you posted. From what you posted, it does sound like it would be a huge pain in the ass, however, at the end, you mentioned that it would force our government (and us who vote for them) to resolve the issue that has gone unresolved (what, for 4 decades? More?).

I think the reason it has not been resolved is that the powers that be (big money) want the cheap labor. Immigration is simply an issue used by the GOP to get their base frothy (and vote in folks who will also remove regulations and create tax loopholes). Always about the $$, isn't it?

I think that everyone pretty much knows that Immigrants are generally very good workers (can you imagine if they were paid a living wage too?). What the right-wing focuses on are criminals. (Criminals exist in every race, so that is ridiculous).

Another line of attack: Immigrants working in the construction business - isn't it interesting how the right wing frame it: 'Immigrants are Stealing your Jobs', while the truth of what is going on is that the companies hiring them want the cheaper labor. They don't offer a living wage or insurance. Citizens can't compete because we (generally) expect higher standards of living. (How is it right that immigrants should have lower standards of living?)

The system is definitely broken. And the immigrants are being used as pawns. It is sickening.

[radius777]

12. Agree. The system we have now exploits immigrants,

puts pressure on our social safety net, drives down wages and takes jobs from working class Americans and legal immigrants.

E-Verify or some version would seem like a good thing.

[Best_man23]

7. My message to Immigrants, let it be and leave Florida

There are plenty of other places in the US that would be happy to have you and your families.

As for Florida, let it be:

Let the yards go unattended and unmowed.

Let the bricks, drywall, and wood at construction sites remain in the piles where they were delivered.

Let the homes go unclean and untidy.

Let the people in Florida figure out who is going to watch their kids and tend to their parents or grandparents in hospitals and nursing homes.

And as for the Florida farms: Let the crops rot in the fields.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Got footage from inside this event. They admit the bill is "100% meant to scare" immigrants

Link to tweet

[yardwork]

13. What a complete ass he is.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. Where are the workers?

Link to tweet

[Arazi]

14. Wait what?! I continue to be assured here that we're overreacting to FLs new laws

And here we have FL MAGAts who think this stuff is shit?

🤔


(Immigrants aren’t nearly scared enough. They need to gtfo of FL immediately)