On May 10th of this year Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1718. The bill was crafted to tackle the issue of illegal immigration and its effects on Florida. Despite passage in both Florida legislative bodies and gubernatorial signature it immediately became subject to controversy.
- Requires employers to use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of employees, and fines employers who fail to use E-Verify $1,000 per day.
- Suspends licenses of any employer who knowingly employs illegal aliens and makes using a fake ID to gain employment a felony.
- Enhances penalties for human smuggling, including knowingly transporting five or more illegal aliens or a single illegal alien minor a second-degree felony subject to a $10,000 fine and up to 15 years in prison.
- Provides $12 million to continue the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program to relocate illegal immigrants to sanctuary jurisdictions.
- Bans local governments and NGOs from issuing identification documents to illegal aliens and invalidates all out-of-state driver licenses issued exclusively to illegal aliens.
- Requires hospitals to collect and report healthcare costs for illegal aliens.
Objections
- Groups such as the ACLU are taking issue with prohibitions on local governments and NGOs allowing sanctuary and documentation to illegal aliens.
- These groups are also protesting the mandatory transmitting of immigration status from law enforcement to any state entity and ICE.
- Prohibition of contracts with common carriers providing transport of unauthorized aliens is also drawing objections.
- Business groups have also raised concerns that the bill will place approximately 400,000 “undocumented workers” at risk.
- Agriculture and housing construction are noted to be particularly affected according to the Florida Policy Institute.
Florida Citizens’ Concerns
The debate regarding SB 1718 should be framed in the context of: What is Florida to do in the absence of federal enforcement of immigration law?
Do Floridians accept people of unknown background flowing into the state by the hundreds of thousands? If they break our laws or use taxpayer funded services does their immigration status become a matter for Florida Law Enforcement and/or financial compensation? Is the controversy about “anti-immigration” or the lawful application of rules to make entry an orderly and mutually rewarding result?
Will Florida business be affected?
The objections raised by business groups bring to mind a famous quote from John Adams:
Every problem is an opportunity in disguise.
While there is no doubt that the agricultural and construction companies currently employ illegal aliens as noted above, the question is why. We are told that these are low skill, low pay jobs vital to our economy that few Americans want. Accepting this as fact then we have an opportunity to lead the rest of the nation with solutions ready to implement.
Robotics has revolutionized manufacturing and other industries by making repetitive operations the domain of the computer and machine. Industries that relied on mass numbers of humans for labor now employ skilled technicians to oversee assembly lines “manned” by robots.
Labor costs/shortages are the problem that provides opportunity. A recent example was fast food owners investing in automated kitchens.
Farming
Agriculture has long been a major consumer of human labor. Fruits and vegetables have required hand picking when the product is ready within a narrow “ripeness’ window. As was noted for the fast food industry necessity is the mother of invention. The powerful combination of robotics, computers and optical/chemical sensors have provided the means to replace mass numbers of low skill humans with 24/7 automated seeding and picking systems.
Construction
The housing construction industry has also been the beneficiary of automation. The need for large numbers of workers to assemble a new home will go the way of horse and buggy. The auxiliary industries supporting construction are similarly looking to automation of their products/services.
A onetime investment in automation permanently negates the need for employing unskilled labor and neutralizes the loss of undocumented workers. Industries and businesses across the country have taken John Adams’ advice. Will Florida?
COSA promotes an economically strong and constitutionally based Florida. The issues raised and addressed by immigration bill SB 1718 are at the heart of our national discourse and are the Floridian response to them. Whether you agree or disagree with aspects of the bill please open a dialogue with your local and state officials (https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/) to discuss your opinion. Try to present clear and reasonable points and always be respectful.
