{"id":17313,"date":"2023-05-21T05:06:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-21T12:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/contractors-face-uncertainty-over-new-florida-immigration-law\/"},"modified":"2023-05-21T05:06:35","modified_gmt":"2023-05-21T12:06:35","slug":"contractors-face-uncertainty-over-new-florida-immigration-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/contractors-face-uncertainty-over-new-florida-immigration-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Contractors face uncertainty over new Florida immigration law"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A viral video shows a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>reportedly abandoned Florida jobsite<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. Local experts say immigrants who are not authorized to work in the U.S. have fled the state out of fear of deportation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019re reportedly moving in response to a new <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> last week.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnecdotally, things have already gotten tougher in Florida in the last week,\u201d Madelin Zavodny, labor economist and professor at the University of North Florida, told Construction Dive. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of fear among the unauthorized immigrant population about what the law means for them, and I\u2019m sure their employers are getting nervous as well.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

State Bill 1718 will require private companies with more than 25 employees to use E-Verify to ensure workers\u2019 immigration status, to prevent foreign-born individuals who are not authorized to work in the U.S. from filling jobs and using state resources.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Though proponents say it will contribute to national security, others indicate a tough road ahead for employers and workers alike, especially in construction. In 2020, there were an estimated 1.4 million foreign-born, non-citizen,\u00a0Hispanic laborers in the U.S., <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>according to CPWR<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> \u2014 the Center for Construction Research and Training.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For employers in Florida the law brings unpredictability at a time of high labor demand and a shortage of workers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s great uncertainty as we sit here today,\u201d said Mark Neuberger, a Florida-based labor and employment attorney at Foley & Lardner LLP. \u201cIt could all settle down or it could be disastrous.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Complicating the matter is the May 11 expiration of Title 42, a COVID-19-era federal policy that severely limited the ability for immigrants to seek asylum for three years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cGovernors and state legislatures are taking matters into their own hands because of this influx, they have to find a way to address it. They\u2019re being failed by the federal government in not addressing this.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Peter Comstock<\/p>\n

Senior Director of Legislative Affairs, ABC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n

Now that it has lapsed, immigration hawks have voiced concern that it will open the floodgates to even more illegal entries at the border, though that expected wave has yet to materialize. Employer groups have <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>advocated for immigration reform<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, seeking to protect both immigrant workers and the builders who want to legally employ them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Moving to E-Verify<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

E-Verify is an online federal system that allows employers to confirm eligibility of employees to work in the U.S. On July 1, Florida will join nine other states that have E-Verify requirement laws for private employers:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n