Ron DeSantis' Immigration Law Sparks Exodus of Florida Immigrants

Ron DeSantis's new immigration law is pushing away immigrant families in one of the US states with the largest Hispanic populations. Now, Florida immigrants are moving out and this may lead to a massive labor crisis in the Sunshine State, as Florida farms and other businesses heavily rely on cheap immigrant labor.

"They don't want us here," is the feeling that many immigrants in Ron DeSantis's Florida feel, and that is exactly what immigrant David Guerra, who fled the state with his family, told NBC News in a recent interview.

Guerra, who lived in Tampa and built a business there, admitted that he and his family fled Florida last May, shortly after DeSantis signed the controversial immigration law. They had to leave a lot of their items behind, including beds, mattresses, furniture, and the construction tools that he uses for his business. "That is what has hurt me the most, my girls, who no longer have toys," he said.

Originally from El Salvador, Guerra stated that he and his family knew their life had changed once DeSantis signed SB 1718 into law. It would go into effect in July and it imposes strict restrictions and penalties to deter the employment of undocumented workers in Florida.

Only his three children had US citizen status, with him and six other family members admittedly not being legal. He told NBC News that he saw other immigrants leave their belongings behind frantically as they leave the state in which they had spent years working hard in.

It is not just in Tampa but in cities and towns across Florida, including the farming community of Immokalee where many migrants are employed by farmers. Those who stayed behind say that they have at least one acquaintance, friend, or neighbor who left Florida after DeSantis signed the controversial bill into law.

Florida Employers and Farmers Unhappy With New Ron DeSantis Immigration Law

As expected, the new Ron DeSantis immigration law is sparking widespread concerns from employers and farmers across the state, even Republicans who voted for the controversial Florida governor and current presidential candidate.

Graves Williams, a Florida tomato farmer, and lifelong Republican, admitted that his farm's operations would be impossible without immigrant laborers.

He told USA Today, "We all love them to death," before adding, "We couldn't run a business without them."

Many of these Republican business owners do not want to speak about the measure as they fear it could antagonize DeSantis, which many of them still support despite his policies being detrimental to their way of life.

However, those who do, such as Graves Williams, questions, "How can one man pass one law and destroy all these businesses in Florida?"

"It's almost like he's doing it on purpose. I know he's doing it for politics, but the end results, it's going to be hard," said the tomato farmer, who sees hard times ahead.

Immigrants Leaving and Its Effects on Florida's Economy

Samuel Vilchez, Florida director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, pointed out that immigrants leaving the state en masse could have some detrimental effects on Florida.

"Even if, say 25% of undocumented workers were to leave, that's 200,000 people," he said.

Many of these immigrants work in the state's food and agriculture industry, which paid $53.76 billion in taxes this year. DeSantis's harsh law could affect this and decrease the money that the state will generate.

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, some Republican politicians find themselves conflicted. This includes state Rep. Rick Roth, who is not just a member of the Florida House, but also a farmer. He continued supporting DeSantis and even defended the controversial law, but admitted that he is unhappy about losing workers on his own farm.

Roth was the same Republican politician who was seen pleading in a viral video for immigrants to stay while also defending the Republican-backed law.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Fear of new immigration law depleting labor force - CBS Miami