{"id":24653,"date":"2021-06-17T15:15:48","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T19:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/?p=24653"},"modified":"2021-06-17T15:18:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T19:18:34","slug":"florida-everify-law-proves-bad-immigrationreform-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2021\/06\/17\/florida-everify-law-proves-bad-immigrationreform-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida E-Verify Lacks Enforcement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Despite Florida Governor Ron DeSantis\u2019 so-called commitment to crack down on the hiring of illegal aliens in Florida, a Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) spokeswoman told the Orlando Sentinel<\/a><\/em> that no enforcement measures have been taken against any employers since the bill took effect on January 1, 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n State agencies were already required to use E-Verify under an executive order by DeSantis\u2019 predecessor, Rick Scott. However, SB 664<\/a> requires state and local governments, their contractors and subcontractors, and private employers to use E-Verify or use an I-9 to determine the immigration status of potential employees. For any hire made after January 1, the documents must be kept on file for three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the state E-Verify requirement is a good step forward,\nthe lack of tangible enforcement for perpetrators is problematic as there is no\nway to ensure that illegal aliens aren\u2019t being hired. An earlier version of the\nbill would have allowed DEO to randomly audit businesses to check for\ncompliance and impose $500 fines. However, those measures were removed under\npressure from big business lobbies before it was passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of this arm-twisting, the bill has faced some criticism from E-Verify advocates who seek more aggressive measures to enforce the law. Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R- Howey-in-the-Hills) said<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s a fake bill. It\u2019s paper thin. It\u2019s window dressing. It\u2019s a bill to make it looked like we passed E-Verify in the state of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Sabatini is a staunch supporter of a statewide E-Verify mandate. He filed a bill<\/a> this year to remove the option for employers to use the I-9 document instead of E-Verify but it did not receive a hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n