Migrant Workers Said to Be Leaving Florida Over New Immigration Law
Manuel Bojorquez, CBS, July 1, 2023
A controversial Florida law which took effect Saturday no longer recognizes driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants from other states, among other restrictions.
It is part of a sweeping immigration bill signed by Republican Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis back in May that is prompting many to leave the state.
The run-up to the new law has sparked protests by immigrant workers, from those in the tourism and hospitality industry, to those who work in agricultural fields.
“We are hearing people are starting to leave,” Yvette Cruz with the Farmworkers Association of Florida told CBS News of reports of migrant workers abandoning fields and construction projects. “We’re just gonna keep seeing that more as the law will take effect.”
The law also includes harsh penalties for those who try and hire or transport undocumented migrants {snip}
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The Florida Policy Institute estimates that nearly 10% of workers in Florida’s most labor-intensive industries are undocumented {snip}
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