Many times we have seen the constant complaints of irregular immigration to the United States, but what would that country really look like if this problem could be stopped, since at the present time the fields are empty, crops rotting, abandoned buildings, dry businesses seems to be taken from a movie from zombie apocalypse.
All the working immigrants have left the state of Florida, due to the new immigration law of Governor Ron DeSantis, he has just expelled them from Florida and we are not talking about any state, Florida is the cradle of about 925 thousand irregular immigrants and If we ask ourselves what the United States economy would be without all those thousands of workers, well, we are already seeing the results of that policy.
The law sb1718 that establishes that companies with 25 or more employees must verify the immigration status of their workers or face harsh penalties, that sounds like a warm welcome to you, neither does it to me.
Many of those affected are members of families of mixed status, have you ever thought about how a US citizen child feels when their parents who love and care for them are considered illegal, but this law does not stay in the workplace , also extends its tentacles to health and roads even hospitals that accept medicate, they must collect the immigration status of patients report it to the state.
Approximately 500,000 farmworkers live in Florida, an estimated 300,000 of them estimated to be irregular. You can imagine Florida, without them who will pick their oranges, who will build their homes, who will maintain the vibrant tourism industry, but not just the farmworkers and construction are being affected, what about the truckers, there are already videos of truckers refusing to make deliveries in Florida.
Can you imagine the repercussions of all this and if this spread to more states, the law also provides penalties for those who transport or host an undocumented person, this is welcoming Florida.
This law prohibits Indo people from using driver's licenses issued by other states and prohibits the issuance of State ID cards, so how are they supposed to get around, on foot, clearly this is a direct attack on the irregular immigrant community, but what will be the cost to Florida.
Alabama tried something similar in 2011, the result, abandoned crop fields and massive economic losses, Florida could go the same way if nothing is done about it, in that year Alabama enacted hb56 a very strict immigration law that required companies to verify the immigration status of their workers, that legislation was a response to growing concerns about irregular immigration, but the consequences were devastating for their economy.
It is clear that DeSantis' immigration policies can have significant economic effects, the loss of migrant workers in Alabama caused a contraction of its economy and generates a negative impact in specific sectors such as agriculture (that is not what globalism seeks), It is important to remember that every political decision has consequences and decisions around immigration and Florida is no exception.
Alabama's experience provides a clear warning to Florida of what it is doing today in immigration policies, which is why it is crucial to examine all the possibilities before making decisions as drastic as this one, so the question is for Florida and for any other state that faced with that decision they can afford to go the same way as Alabama and risk the same financial losses.
The figures speak for themselves in 2013 the report of the United States Department of Agriculture showed that Alabama was severely affected by its immigration law, and the losses in its economy had a domino effect throughout the state's economy, with losses in gdp , employment and tax revenue.
The impact was not limited to agriculture, but the construction, manufacturing and service sectors, which are highly dependent on immigrant labor, also suffered.
It is easy to forget that behind all these figures and data there are real people, the hb56 law not only affected the economy of Alabama it also had a significant impact on the lives of people, on children, on families the mass flight of migrant workers , left a void in his community and this led to a decline in the demand for goods and services, and this in turn further accentuated the state's economic problems.
