Florida is threatening to suspend licenses for businesses failing to provide proof of E-Verify compliance, which ensures they are not employing illegal immigrants. It comes as part of its greater effort to protect Florida residents and their jobs as the nation faces a mass immigration crisis on the southern border.
The Department of Economic Opportunity sent letters to several businesses, flagging the various companies for “repeat non-responsiveness” to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
“If you persist and fail to respond to the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), there will be significant consequences,” the letters reads, warning that the notice serves as the “final opportunity to respond before consequences are initiated.”
It adds that the DEP will “not grant any extensions” or excuses for nonresponses. The companies had one month from the date of the letter to provide an affidavit stating the company will comply with the law and terminate the employment of illegal aliens.
Failure to comply with the letter in the given time frame would result in a suspension of “all licenses” held by the company “specific to the business location where the unauthorized alien(s) performed work.” In cases where they do not have a license specific to the business location where the illegal alien worked, the licenses held by the company at its “primary place of business” will be suspended.
The letter was sent to several companies, including Prestige Cruise Services LLC, Upperline Health Inc, and the American National Red Cross. The deadline is Monday, January 16.
Jeremy Redfern, deputy press secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis, told The Center Square that the Sunshine State is “cracking down on the unlawful employment of unauthorized aliens in the state of Florida”:
Companies that have not affirmed that all employees have passed E-Verify and are authorized to work in the United States are given an opportunity to cure the issue and so affirm. Six companies have failed to do so after repeated notices and are subject to the suspension of their licenses to operate their business in the state. They have been issued final notices of non-compliance.
The DeSantis administration is no stranger to touting E-Verify in the state. In 2021, the administration hung signs on all major interstate highways entering Florida, informing travelers that the state, indeed, uses E-Verify.
“For years prior to my administration, attempts to pass E-Verify legislation in Florida failed, but I would not yield until this matter was addressed,” DeSantis told Breitbart News at the time, noting he was able to work with the Florida legislature to get E-Verify over the finish line.
DeSantis added that the use of E-Verify places “upward pressure [on] Floridians’ wages” and protects public safety.
“Assuring a legal workforce through E-Verify is crucial to upholding the rule of law and deters illegal immigration into Florida, which is more important than ever given the border crisis,” he added.
A post-election Rasmussen Reports/NumbersUSA poll found that national midterm election voters support nationwide action on U.S. employers hiring illegal aliens.