But is he really to blame for this?
Latin American drivers plan a service boycott of Florida in response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ new immigration laws.
Migrant crossings at the southern border were back in the spotlight after Title 42 expired.
The measure, introduced by former President Donald Trump in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed illegal immigrants who entered the United States to be quickly deported to prevent the spread of the virus.
It expired on Thursday (May 11) along with all other pandemic emergency protocols, leading some to worry that it would lead to an increase in border crossings at a time when various crises in Latin America have already led to an overall increase in migrants seeking entry into the United States.
To respond to Title 42 ending, Florida’s state legislature passed SB 1718, a new law targeting undocumented migrants in the sunshine state. The bill would require employers to use E-Verify to ascertain that workers are authorized to work in the United States and collect information from hospitals about undocumented patients.
DeSantis signed the legislation that will take effect July 1 on Wednesday (May 10).
According to Newsweek, there’s a video doing the rounds, telling truckers not to enter Florida.
The video calls for unity among Latinos, in defense of their fellow Latin Americans, against this “very stupid” law that incites hatred and discrimination. The video repeats the call for truckers not to go to Florida.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, offered a response to the boycott reports, suggesting that Florida leaders who passed the new policy would “reap what they sow,” adding that DeSantis was learning that lesson.