Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida claimed on Wednesday that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ crackdown on illegal migrants would hurt Florida’s agricultural economy.
DeSantis signed legislation on May 10 that requires hospitals to inquire about the immigration status of patients, provides $12 million to transport illegal immigrants out of the state and makes it a crime to knowingly transport illegal migrants into Florida. “I appreciate you shining a spotlight on this horrific situation that is the responsibility of Ron DeSantis, our governor, who created a nightmarish culture of fear for immigrants in our state,” Wasserman Schultz told MSNBC host Jose Diaz-Balart.
“Not only that, but like you referenced, when Arizona did the same to their immigrants in their state, he is going to devastate our economy, tourism, construction, agriculture,” she added. (RELATED: ‘This Should Not Be Happening’: Eric Adams Calls Out Biden Over Migrants In New York City)
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“You are going to have vegetables rotting in the fields, construction sites that will lie dormant or struggle to get workers to help make sure that they can make progress,” Wasserman Schultz continued. “The tourism and restaurant industry in particular rely on these workers.”
Liberals denounced DeSantis for sending flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in September 2022, with some demanding a Justice Department investigation. The Daily Caller News Foundation obtained documents showing that the migrants were advised of their destination.
DeSantis also sent 1,500 Florida National Guard personnel to Texas to aid the state in the wake of Title 42 expiring. The Biden administration allowed Title 42 to lapse at 11:59 p.m. EST on May 11.
Over 1.2 million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border during fiscal year 2023, according to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), following 2,378,944 encounters in fiscal year 2022 and 1,734,686 in fiscal year 2021, while Fox News reported that 600,000 migrants evaded CBP in fiscal year 2022.
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