Florida's new DeSantis-backed laws address immigration, guns and more
Employers who hire immigrants in the country illegally will face tough punishments and gun owners will have more freedoms when more than 200 new Florida laws take effect Saturday
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Employers who hire immigrants in the country illegally will face tough punishments and gun owners will have more freedoms when more than 200 new Florida laws take effect Saturday, many of which Gov. Ron DeSantis will highlight as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis has taken a hard line on illegal immigration as he campaigns, saying he'll finish the Mexican border wall his one-time supporter, Donald Trump, promised to build. He's also carried out political gimmicks like flying immigrants from Texas to blue states, supposedly before they can get to Florida.
The new employer penalties are a chance for DeSantis to show he doesn't just talk tough on illegal immigration, but he's put in place what some critics say the harshest state law in the country. DeSantis has largely echoed the border policy of Trump, whose endorsement propelled DeSantis to the governor's office in 2018. DeSantis is now the former president's leading competitor for the White House.
The new law expands worker verification requirements, among other provisions. The governor's office blames the Biden administration for what it says is a crisis at the southern border.
