JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature is poised to endorse an aggressive plan by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to discourage illegal immigration by penalizing employers who hire them.
The legislation would make Florida the largest state in the nation to require both public and private companies to use E-Verify, an online program that can determine if a potential employee is legally eligible to work in the U.S.
Mr. DeSantis is close to announcing a 2024 White House bid, those connected to his political team say, and he is gearing up to run as the most conservative GOP candidate on a wide range of issues. Among those issues is illegal immigration, which has been a top voter concern following years of escalating difficulty securing the southern border.
The governor trails former President Donald Trump in some polls by double digits but is aiming to capture conservative early-state primary voters with an agenda that runs the furthest to the right.
The legislation proposed by Mr. DeSantis, which is now moving through the GOP-led Florida House and Senate, would require private businesses with 25 or more employees to use the E-Verify system for hiring. The threshold is lower than any other state, aides to Mr. DeSantis said Thursday.
“We believe this is by far the most comprehensive immigration bill in the country and are glad that the legislature came to the table and was willing to push the ball forward here,” an aide said.
The aide said Mr. Desantis will “continue to try to push the envelope” in the face of court challenges that have limited the state’s efforts to curb illegal immigration.
The E-Verify legislation will target 75% of the state’s workforce.
“This is going to cover a lot of corporations, hotels, places where you might expect to find business owners engaging with unlawful alien employees,” the DeSantis aide said.
Fines for businesses that are not in compliance would build to $1,000 per day, and for restaurants and hotels and would result in the revocation of state-issued liquor licenses.
The bill also increases fines for human smuggling and would make it a second-degree felony for transporting a child who is in the U.S. illegally.
It would invalidate out-of-state licenses used by illegal immigrants living in Florida and would require hospitals to report the cost of treating illegal immigrants.
The Florida legislature is expected to consider and pass the legislation in the coming weeks and will wrap up work in early May. Mr. DeSantis is expected to announce he’s running for president shortly after the legislature concludes business.
Mr. DeSantis rose to national prominence after defying COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates, and he also drew attention to Florida after he used state funds to privately fly a group of illegal immigrants to the wealthy resort island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
The legislation now pending in the Florida legislature provides $12 million to continue his relocation program for illegal immigrants, which Democrats call a political stunt.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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