TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House has approved legislation that would require all employers, regardless of size, to verify the immigration status of new hires through the federal E-Verify system.
What You Need To Know
The Florida House wants all employers to use E-Verify
The federal database allows employers to verify someone’s authorization to work
The measure failed last year in the Florida Senate
Currently, only businesses with 25 or more employees must use E-Verify to confirm whether a prospective worker is authorized to work in the United States.
Republican supporters said the measure would strengthen workforce integrity and hold employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers.
“If this bill passes, it will expose a lot of lawbreakers that are harming Floridians, harming law-abiding people who want to get into the workforce,” said Florida Rep. Berny Jacques, a Republican from Clearwater and the bill’s sponsor.
Democrats and other critics warned the legislation could deepen the stigma against immigrant communities and disrupt key industries that rely heavily on migrant labor, such as agriculture.
“At a time that these communities are under attack, we don’t need to add any fuel to the fire,” said Florida Rep. Dotie Joseph, a Democrat from North Miami. “Stop doing the most.”
The proposal would make Florida one of the few states to mandate universal use of E-Verify. A similar plan passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate.
Republican leaders are revisiting the issue as part of a broader push to strengthen immigration enforcement at the state level.