Undocumented workers flee Florida after new anti-illegal immigration law was passed

On May 10, Ron DeSantis, the Republican Governor of Florida, signed the new anti-illegal immigration legislation. The legislation limits services for people who lack permanent legal statuses in Florida. The new law, set to go into full effect in July 2023, also criminalises the transport of an undocumented person into Florida.

The legislation requires private employers with 25 or more employees to use the E-Verify system to verify all new employees. In July, employers will be subject to random checks and could be fined up to $10,000 if they fail to meet the new requirements.

While citizens wait for confirmation of his presidential campaign, Ron DeSantis released a statement that read: "If another state issued a license to an illegal alien who was unable to prove lawful presence in the U.S. when his or her license was issued, that person is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle in Florida."

The statement also recalled: "This legislation will additionally require each hospital that accepts Medicaid to include a question on admission or registration forms that asks whether the patient is a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the U.S. or is not lawfully present in the U.S."

In light of the new legislation, more than 200,000 undocumented workers in Florida have abandoned their workplaces to seek work in other states. A video, posted on TikTok, depicting an abandoned construction site in Florida, has received over 1 million views.

"It is 9 am, usually at this time there is a lot of people here working, all kinds of contractors doing their jobs, roofers of course, a lot of noise, and loud Mexican music. This is what you hear today... it is happening," the TikTok creator commentated.

Several users of the entertainment platform expressed their support for the people affected by the immigration law.

One comment read: "Standing with the workers, from Canada."

Another read: "I am glad they are sticking together."

However, some people showed their appreciation for the new legislation. "Good... my home value will go up," a user wrote.

"Today, I am in Claremont, Florida, another construction site that is empty – no workers, no roofers," the TikTok creator said in another video.

Responding to the new legislation, Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book said: "This bill is a misguided, dysfunctional and disingenuous way to deal with a problem the federal government should be in charge of fixing."

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a National Hispanic Rights Group, have urged immigrants to restrain from travelling into Florida – regardless of their status.

Domingo Garcia, president of LULAC, called the new legislation part of a "potential platform" for the Governor to use if he joins the race for President.

During his first run for Governor in 2018, DeSantis declared: "I want businesses to hire citizens and legal immigrants, but we want them to follow the law and not do illegal immigrants – and that's not too difficult to do."

Andrea Reyes, an immigration attorney in Florida told reporters: "Right now we are already seeing the start of what going to likely be a mass exodus of immigrants out of the State of Florida. We understand that in the state of Florida that 21 per cent of the state is populated by immigrants."

She revealed that "35 per cent of entrepreneurs are immigrants contributing a whopping $8.1 billion in total income to the state of Florida", and that "over 21 per cent of the population are foreign-born."

"When you have a state that is run so much by immigrants, to say that this bill is going to affect nearly all residents, families, and businesses in the state is really a terrifying fact," Andrea Reyes added.

"I genuinely believe that this bill is economic suicide," she concluded.