Gov. DeSantis' 'crackdown' on illegal immigration ignores a big player
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Legislature are crowing again about cracking down on illegal immigration.
Earlier this month, they agreed on two bills that enhance criminal penalties for people based on their immigration status and generally make it easier for Florida to assist President Donald Trump in purging the country of nearly everyone who came here illegally.
What the governor and Legislature didn’t do is require more companies to confirm an employee’s citizenship status using the E-Verify system. They conveniently let employers off the hook … again. If you think that’s a little like bellyaching about the scourge of illegal drugs and then going soft on drug dealers, you’d be right.
Everyone saw this coming — starting with the worn-out and often disingenuous political bluster that suggests immigrants here illegally commit more serious crimes (they don’t) and are stealing our jobs (no again).
Then, those same tough-on-crime Tallahassee leaders allowed companies to keep hiring those so-called job-stealing and crime-committing workers without any additional penalties. Companies can profit from the illegal labor, while the state keeps looking the other way. It’s Olympic-level intentional ignorance. Unfortunately, screaming “hypocrisy” at Tallahassee lawmakers will only make you hoarse.
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2025/02/20/gov-desantis-crackdown-illegal-immigration-ignores-big-player-column/