Florida lawmakers recently passed a crackdown on illegal immigration pushed by Governor Ron DeSantis. While some portions of the bill may seem downright mundane, a couple have the open borders folk apoplectic. What does it mean for residents of the Sunshine State – both legal and otherwise? Will it hold up to judicial review, and, perhaps equally important, is this just the beginning?
Illegal Immigration Crackdown – Building the Welfare Wall?
The bill cleared the state Senate 27-10 on April 28 and the House 83-36 on May 3, and now it merely awaits the autograph of one Gov. DeSantis to become law. The new regulation seeks to strip illegal immigrants of any form of safety net. Local governments will be prohibited from providing any funding to organizations that issue identification cards, and out-of-state driver’s licenses for illegals will be nullified. It also requires businesses with more than 25 employees to use the E-Verify system, which shows whether job seekers can legally work in the US.
Another component of the bill requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to inquire about citizenship on intake forms. Democrats argue this is designed to dissuade undocumented migrants from seeking medical care – and it would likely have that unfortunate side effect. However, it seems the true intent is to stem the tide of illegal immigration in advance. Such measures are just bricks in the so-called welfare wall, which, in theory, would serve as a deterrent. The idea is simple: Don’t make the unlawful and dangerous trek any more enticing than it already is by offering the reward of taxpayer-funded benefits to any who survive the journey and avoid deportation.
Illegal Immigrant Flood Control?
What may be the most controversial part of the law, however, is a $12 million fund for DeSantis’ “migrant relocation initiative.” Recall the group of South Americans the governor flew to Martha’s Vineyard? $12 million buys a lot of airline tickets!
Border states aren’t the only places undocumented folk settle. About 2% of the total population of Arkansas, for example – and 44% of immigrants, specifically, in the Natural State – are illegal, according to the US Census Bureau. In Texas, an actual border state, it’s 5.7% of the total population and 33% of immigrants.
An increase in illegal immigration – which seems inevitable with the looming end of Title 42 – means a much heavier burden on the taxpayers of states either on the border or adjacent to those that are. A $12 million fund to transport undocumented migrants to cities and states where residents and politicians alike demonize border security likely pales in comparison to what Floridians would have to shell out otherwise.
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Future of Red State Immigration?
The law will surely be challenged, though likely for naught. Four of the six Florida Supreme Court Justices were appointed by DeSantis himself, so the law is probably safe at the state level. It’s potentially just as secure at the federal level, though, as well. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals leaned conservative even before Trump’s presidency, but the Donald managed to get six judges confirmed, leaving the current GOP-appointed majority of seven to four, with one vacancy Biden hopes to fill this year. It seems unlikely that such a court would strike down DeSantis’ new immigration rule.
Don’t be surprised if similar measures soon pop up in other Republican-led states – especially Texas. When DeSantis began flying migrants to Democrat-ruled domains, it was by executive order. The new regulation, however, solidifies the transport of illegal immigrants to other areas in state law, so it’s unlikely “DeSantis Air” will be grounded any time soon. For Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has also sent migrants into liberal cities, it could prove just the launchpad he needs to secure funding for his own “Abbott Express” endeavors. Transporting illegal migrants to the Big Apple, the Swamp, and other bastions of progressive thought may exacerbate the spread of illegals across the country, but it does so in a way that both trolls the open borders folks and forces them to either pony up to pay for their own policy demands or show themselves to be hypocrites.
