Florida Immigrants Hold ‘Day Without Immigrants,’ Protests Across Florida in Opposition to New Ron Desantis Law

Florida has one of the largest Latino populations in the US. However, Governor Ron DeSantis is alienating them with his new immigration law, which may badly affect the state's economy as farms and construction sites that usually only hire undocumented immigrants lay deserted as business owners fear reprisals from the new law. Now, immigrants are holding "Day Without Immigrants" across the state.

On Thursday, immigrant workers just did not show up to work and instead protested. Places that usually hire immigrants as they are cheap labor, became emptier, with some small businesses closing up shop to show solidarity. The protests are called "a day without immigrants."

According to CBS News Miami, some truck drivers even brought their vehicles with them to the protests, including trucks with small construction cranes. They reportedly demonstrated at a busy intersection outside the office of one of the Florida state lawmakers who championed the law.

Meanwhile, over in one of Florida's most well-known tomato-growing areas, Immokalee, there were hundreds of protesters who were seen marching around the town as they chanted and carried signs against the DeSantis-backed law.

"Many of the protesters were not undocumented immigrants, as some actually have papers already. I managed to get legal status in this country, and I said one day when I have documents I'm going to raise my voice. I'm also going to speak up for those people who don't have a voice," said a Florida restaurant owner named Isis Cordova. "Because I know what it's like to be in these shoes on the other side, with that fear and living in the shadows."

Protesters Hit Ron DeSantis for Killing Jobs in Florida

As many immigrants took to the streets in protest of the new law, many have singled out Governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently running for president, for signing the law. DeSantis has been running on a highly-divisive culture war platform that has not only irked the Latino community but also the LGBTQ and African-Americans.

According to Yahoo! News, Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani pointed out that this new DeSantis-backed law would "not only threaten the health and wellbeing of immigrants but hurt the local business community as important jobs and services that would ordinarily be staffed by immigrants go unfulfilled."

Protesters held not just American flags, but also various other countries from Latin America, including Mexico, Venezuela, and Honduras. Many took to the offices of various Florida legislators to pressure them to repeal the bill, which would take into effect next month.

What Ron DeSantis' New Immigration Law Is About

The Florida Governor has been crusading against illegal immigration as a lead-up to his run for the presidency. The bill essentially makes transporting undocumented immigrants illegal in the state, and forces business owners with over 25 workers to use E-Verify, a federal system that determines if employees can legally work in the United States.

However, one of the most unpopular provisions was that hospitals must now pose a citizenship question to those seeking medical attention in order for them to accept Medicaid. The Associated Press reported that the law seeks to dissuade immigrants living in the United States illegally from seeking medical care and drive them out.

Many provisions of the new law were called inhumane and marginalized immigrants, with Latino civil rights group LULAC issuing a travel advisory against Florida for Latino people.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: 'Our governor is a job-killing moron': DeSantis immigration policy threatens state economy - MSNBC