A sweeping new law cracking down on immigrants in Florida has led to a collapse of the state’s workforce and has led to Republicans literally begging workers not to leave.
And it was all of this was foreseeable and avoidable, wrote the Miami Herald Editorial Board in a scathing takedown.
“Florida needs migrant workers, many of whom are in the country illegally,” wrote the board, continuing that both the state and the country as a whole “rely on cheap migrant labor to sustain our way of life” and no Republican wants to address this “uncomfortable truth,” simply acting tough without putting forward a real solution.
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For example, foreign-born workers made up 87 percent of the farming workforce of Miami-Dade County alone, noted the board,. And family farms dominate this area — meaning it’s small businesses that stand to suffer most from the new policies.
The law, which went into effect on June 1, puts in place penalties such as making it a felony to drive undocumented people into the state, mandating checks to make sure hires are legally entitled to work and telling hospitals to check patients’ legal status.
“You can’t tackle immigration with tough laws that risk hurting crucial industries like agriculture without dealing with the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” wrote the board. “Republicans can promise to kick out every person in this country illegally — whether it be through Mitt Romney’s ‘self-deportation’ strategy or zero-tolerance policies. Not only is that unfeasible and expensive, it would also expel essential workers from our economy. Unfortunately, talking about the complexity of this problem doesn’t make for good sound bites and campaign platforms.”
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All of this comes as DeSantis comes under fire for other anti-immigrant stunts, most notably the flying of immigrants to other states without notifying officials there, which has sparked calls for a federal investigation from California officials. It also comes as other Republican governors spark outrage for their own migrant control policies; Gov. Greg Abbott placed buoys and circular saws in the Rio Grande to try to prevent crossings, potentially in violation of federal treaties with Mexico.
