A New Florida Immigration Law Is Turning Farm Towns Into 'Ghost Towns'

[marmar]

A New Florida Immigration Law Is Turning Farm Towns Into ‘Ghost Towns’
Florida is one of a growing number of states threatening to use E-Verify as a way to intimidate and control farmworkers. As farmers face worker shortages and farm communities lose residents, are GOP lawmakers shooting themselves in the foot?

BY GREY MORANFEBRUARY 7, 2024


(Civil Eats) Moncho had just started building a life in Florida when SB 1718’, a broad law targeting both undocumented immigrants and the people in their lives, passed through the state legislature last May. In the weeks that followed, his home stopped feeling like home. He began seeing more cops and state troopers in his town, a predominantly immigrant community. He feared it would only get worse and figured it was safest to leave before the law went into effect in July.

“It was a quick decision. Once I learned about the law, I talked it over with my wife and we said, ‘OK, let’s get out of here,’” said Moncho, who is using a nickname. He has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years, moving between states as a farmworker and construction worker, without getting the chance to fully make any of them his home.

In June 2023, just weeks after the bill’s passage, Moncho and his wife packed up what they could fit into their car and drove—through the wildfire smoke that was blanketing the East Coast at the time—to Vermont to seek work in the dairy industry and build a new life for themselves, again.

They are just two of the many undocumented immigrants who have left Florida in the aftermath of the bill’s passage. In the last nine months, as workers have fled, “help wanted” signs have reportedly popped up across the state. Crops have been left to rot in fields. Entire communities emptied out and turned into “ghost towns.” ...............(more)

https://civileats.com/2024/02/07/a-new-florida-immigration-law-is-turning-farm-towns-into-ghost-towns/

[Lovie777]

1. To shithole's cult.............................

job opportunity openings.

[BonnieJW]

14. Pretty soon,

the price of food is going to rise due to lack of farm workers, food processors, packers and truckers. Then Magats will blame Biden. I hope the Lincoln Project is working on an ad.

[KS Toronado]

35. tic tock

[marble falls]

36. The main reason is corporate greed. At least libraries aren't raising late fees yet!

[KS Toronado]

38. You almost owed me a keyboard, GOOD ONE

[NoMoreRepugs]

2. Little duhhhsantis just makes everything worse here in Florida on a daily basis.

[RKP5637]

3. Florida, where opportunities go to die.

[Scrivener7]

4. My relative bemoans the fact that it's almost impossible to get minimum wage labor there.

And then goes and votes R.

No sympathy.

[Mr. Mustard 2023]

8. Thoughts and Prayers?

Nah....

[wolfie001]

15. More like plantation help........................nt

[mitch96]

23. That's Exactly what they want.. .slave labor. That's their "gold standard". Any labor they can spend the least on.

Then again they could end their "immigration" problem by just arresting the people who HIRE the undocumented... Farmers, Meat processing plants and people who hire low wage nanny's etc
and they will NEVER do it.
Why? b/c the repukes in charge would not get their cheap labor. No cheap farm labor? Farmers go out of business. No cheap meat packing employees? Meat prices go thru the roof.
Hire low wage under age seasonal undocumented people is how they make money. Business people always complain about labor costs. If you can't have slaves, low wages are the next best thing for them.
If the labor advantages dry up in the US no one will come here. Why come to the US if there is no work?

The border crisis is just a political ploy to stick it to the dems...
Just a fucken game to them with peoples lives at stake.
Same with Ukraine. The ruzzia loving repukes in congress have blood on their hands. They don't care because then just want to stick it to the dems, not legislate or govern for the people they are suppose to serve... At least that's how i sees it..
uff it drives me nuts...
Ok rant mode off
m

[DBoon]

29. They fought a war for their "right" to keep slaves ...

... and still haven't gotten over losing

[mitch96]

32. +1, yup... "their" war never ended...nt

[Sky Jewels]

26. Have you ever asked him why he keeps voting for the people

who make it difficult/impossible for him to employ the laborers he needs?

[Scrivener7]

28. They say DeSantis has done good things for small businesses.

And beyond that, I just can't.

[Wuddles440]

5. And attempting to backfill...

the losses with more child labor and a return to the 19th Century.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Florida Republicans also passed a law allowing teens to work 40 hours a week during the school year.

I’m sure the law is aimed at allowing children to take some jobs formerly done by migrants. It’s just another way of targeting poor kids and preventing them from getting an education because few children can work 40 hours a week and still have the energy to study and learn in school. It’s also a way of holding wages down to the minimum because adults cannot survive on a minimum wage.

[wolfie001]

17. This is gonna replace detention

Out to the fields you go..........................

[mitch96]

25. +1, yup...slave labor is the least expensive. Prison hires out prisoners, collect the profit and taxpayers pay for

the up keep..
Sounds like a good deal to me.

[atreides1]

7. They'll have more workers soon.

Florida is changing its child labor laws. The bill would remove restrictions prohibiting 16- and 17-year-olds from working more than eight hours when they have classes the next day and from working more than 30 hours a week when school is in session.

I'll bet that there are some MAGAt parents that can't wait to take Johnny's paycheck and have him quit school before graduation...

[AllaN01Bear]

9. who is going to pick your crops . cut your lawns . serve your food . happened before and they do jobs that some of us

americans cant or wont.

[wolfie001]

18. Trumpers won't do it

Those folks at his rallies look like they haven't worked an honest day since Clinton was Prez.

[SouthernDem4ever]

21. Reminds me of Dean Wormer

Fat, dumb and stupid is no way to go through life Mr/Ms Magat. Ok I added the magat part, but it applies.

[AZ8theist]

22. Yes. Delta House. One of our "finest" fraternities.......

[mitch96]

24. +1..nt

[Sky Jewels]

27. And all the Trumpy boomers and Gen Xers populating Florida's retirement communities

will have no one to spoon feed them and change their diapers in their old age.

[AllaN01Bear]

10. hey rs . in order to become an citizen you have to be here 5 years . have a address and steady income with a basic k

knowledge of english and us history. nobody gives a hoot hoot hoot if they come from cuba or canada or are smuggled in freight shipping containers ., always the southern border.

[peppertree]

11. Let deSaster pick the oranges

He already has the boots for the job.

[orleans]

12. "are GOP lawmakers shooting themselves in the foot?"

i'm gonna say as long as it involves shooting, the gop doesn't give a crap who gets hit

case in point: this article

[Old Crank]

13. Florida rep telling people to ignor it

Saying it is a grandstanding bill and there will be no real consequences.
Performance art. These guys want to keep the boot on the throats of immigrants.

[Grins]

16. Bwahahahaha! The bill proposed by a REPUBLICAN FARMER!

Backfires!!!! Just like it was predicted after passage. Within weeks laborers were saying “ Eff that!!! and started to get out. And not just farm workers, but also truck drivers.

Jesus, these bastards are stupid.

[JoseBalow]

19. They'll be expanding prison labor next

Any form of exploitation or slavery is fine with them

[IronLionZion]

20. Ghosts are invading our towns and stealing our jobs!

Walls don't even stop them

[Freethinker65]

30. Can't wait for domestics, residential maintenance, and home healthcare workers flee working in tony enclaves.

Honestly, where do these conservative retirees driving their golf carts around cul de sacs in places like The Villages think their help and hospitality/service workers (with ethnic sounding names and accents come from)?

[FeelingBlue]

31. This goes along with Republicans'

Telling their supporters not to get vaccinated against Covid.

Republicans seem to give no thought to their supporters, which, in turn, garners them further support. 🤪😝🤡

[Martin68]

37. Hispanic immigrants are an integral part of Virginia's social fabric. I like it. The are good, hard-working people.

They have made us a better state.