Florida

Zorro

(17,096 posts) Tue Mar 25, 2025, 11:14 AM Tuesday

Child labor protections could soon be rolled back in Florida. Why?

DeSantis said that a younger workforce could be part of the solution to replace “dirt cheap” migrant labor.

Teenagers as young as 14 could soon be allowed to work overnight shifts as part of an effort in the Republican-led Legislature to roll back major aspects of the state’s child labor laws.

The proposal — which moved through its first Florida Senate committee Tuesday — comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis says a younger workforce could be part of the solution to replacing “dirt cheap” labor from migrants in the country illegally.

“Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts, college students should be able to do this stuff,” DeSantis said last week during a panel discussion with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.

The governor said the state has taken several steps to crack down on hiring workers living in the country illegally, including enacting a state law that requires large companies to screen workers through E-Verify, a federal database that confirms an employee’s citizenship status.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2025/03/25/florida-child-labor-desantis-immigration-deport-migrant-workforce/

Republicans miss the good ol' days when kids worked in the mines and the factories. They don't need no education, anyway -- they would just grow up to be Democrats.