Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a sweeping immigration bill into law at an event in Jacksonville, Florida, in an effort to curb illegal immigration.
SB 1718, which DeSantis signed Wednesday, expands E-verify and provides $12 million in funding toward transporting illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities, among other items.
DEFLORIDA BLUEPRINT: DESANTIS’S ECONOMIC RECORD AS GOVERNOR
President Biden’s dereliction of duty at the border is costing Americans their lives. In Florida, we’ve taken concrete action to protect our communities by:
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 10, 2023
- Relocating illegal aliens to sanctuary cities in other states
- Enforcing E-Verify
- Establishing a task force to… pic.twitter.com/DCU6YUBxFT
“The Biden Border Crisis has wreaked havoc across the United States and has put Americans in danger,” DeSantis said in a statement.
“In Florida, we will not stand idly by while the federal government abandons its lawful duties to protect our country. The legislation I signed today gives Florida the most ambitious anti-illegal immigration laws in the country, fighting back against reckless federal government policies and ensuring the Florida taxpayers are not footing the bill for illegal immigration,” he added.
The law now requires private employers with more than 25 employees to use the E-verify program for new hires beginning July 1, 2023. It also requires hospitals that accept Medicare to ask patients whether they are U.S. citizens or are in the country legally.
The funding for transporting illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities comes less than a year after DeSantis helped transport 50 immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Democrats in the state legislature contended that the bill was "politically driven" and would harm immigrants.
“This bill is politically driven, and it’s an anti-immigrant bill that will hurt and even kill undocumented immigrants,” Democratic state Rep. Susan Valdes said.
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The bill's signing comes as immigration and border security are in the spotlight with the end of pandemic-era Title 42 on Thursday. Title 42 had allowed for the rapid expulsion of immigrants entering the United States via the Mexican border.
With the end of Title 42, officials are expecting a surge in border crossings and unlawful entries into the U.S. via the southern border.