2023-07-09 00:52:33
Photo: AFP.
Businessmen from Florida, in the United States, indicated that they were affected by the entry into force of the SB 1718 anti-immigrant law, last Saturday, July 1, which might directly affect the state’s economy.
The regulation was promoted by the state governor, Ron DeSantis. According to data provided by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), more than 772,000 undocumented immigrants residing in the state had to move to other US states due to the law that seeks to block the hiring of migrants.
Among those affected are the more than 145,351 undocumented Guatemalan migrants who resided in that state, one of which had a large number of compatriots.
According to information from the MPI, 24 percent of the migrant population worked in construction, 17 percent in the field and administration, 15 percent in the hospitality sector, and 9 percent in retail trade, sectors that will be affected by the lack of manpower.
CASTRO: “PUNISHES THE BUSINESSMAN AND WORKERS”
Fernando Castro Molina, a Guatemalan immigration analyst, pointed out that immigration law SB 1718 “punishes the business community and workers, who with their work strengthen the economy of said state.”
Castro indicated that 20 percent of the population residing in Florida is immigrant, and that this portion of the population were undocumented workers. They were affected by the application of the law.
From that account, the analyst explained: “the state of Florida ranks second in the American Union in number of Hispanic entrepreneurs and one of the main centers of Latino entrepreneurship in the US, with more than 600,000 businesses in different economic areas, such as: construction, hotels, services, tourism and agriculture, among others”.
He also highlighted that the work of migrants contributes to the economy, with approximately US$90 billion annually, an inflow of money that: “will be affected by the abandonment of jobs by immigrants in an irregular situation, given the validity of of SB 1718”, according to his opinion.
Castro added that there are more than 286,000 agriculture, tourism, and hotel industries, and “they are owned by Latinos in Florida, which represents 16.53 percent of the total for the State, which generates more than one million jobs.”
He added that: “the law promoted by DeSantis affects the business sector of the Hispanic community and Americans in Florida.”
According to the data provided by the Florida Institute of Politics, and pointed out by Castro, the construction, entertainment, recreation, retail trade, agriculture, professional and scientific services, accommodation and food sectors are among the that are being affected since the approval of the law.
The analyst also highlighted that, according to data from the Florida Policy Institute, “industries employ 391,000 undocumented immigrant workers, which represent almost 10 percent of employment in these industries,” data that was rectified on the official website of said institution (https://www.floridapolicy.org).
“E-VERIFY” SYSTEM AS AN IMMIGRATION BLOCK
The E-Verify system, which supports the SB 1718 law, indicates that companies with 25 or more employees must use this platform to verify the immigration status of each of their workers and verify that they are within the hiring regulations.
The Law establishes that the Florida Department of Economic Opportunities will be in charge of ensuring compliance with the requirement to use the E-Verify system, noting that employers will be economically and even criminally penalized for violating said orders.
This system states that employers who do not use the E-Verify system will be fined US$1,000 per day. For workers, it will be a felony to use false identification to get a job.
WHAT IS SB 1718?
SB 1718 is intended to obstruct the flow of illegal immigration to the state of Florida, as agreed on April 24, when the Florida State House Committee on Commerce approved the legislation (CS/SB 1718).
It requires hospitals that accept Medicaid and emergency departments to collect data on the immigration status of their patients, even when they visit the emergency room.
In addition, it makes the transport of people without regulated legal status a crime, and a penalty of up to 15 years in prison is contemplated for the person responsible for this action. Also included are resorts, work or social gatherings, co-workers and family members.
It also voids driver’s licenses issued by other states to people with unregulated immigration status.
According to the regulations, lawyers who approved following 2018 are prevented from practicing their profession, without first having regulated their immigration status.
Finally, law enforcement agencies are required to collect DNA samples from individuals who do not possess regulated immigration status and are detained under a federal detainer request.
In addition, US$12 million was allocated to extradite migrants who do not have mandatory immigration status to other US states.
On social networks, several users have shared videos regarding constructions in which empty places were observed. The authors of the images explained these would be the effects of the law promoted in Florida.
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