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A sweeping immigration law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this month seeking to stamp out illegal workers from the Sunshine State could disrupt the construction industry by making it harder to hire low-wage workers and is sure to drive up the cost of development, experts say.

There are plenty of nervous people. Ive gotten [a lot] of calls on this issue, said Peter Dyga, president and CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors Florida East Coast Chapter trade association. Is it going to have an impact on the labor market? Of course, it is.

The legislation, formally known as SB 1718, is the latest in Gov. DeSantiss right-wing agenda as the Republican mounts a presidential run, which hes expected to announce later this month.

The main provision causing angst among Florida construction executives is a mandate for businesses with 25 or more employees to use the federal governments E-Verify system to confirm workers immigration status.

While its always been illegal to hire undocumented workers, employers have typically been able to turn a blind eye. Prospective workers are required to fill out an I-9 employment eligibility verification form and provide documentation to prove their identity, such as a passport or drivers license. Employers were free to hire those applicants if their certificates appeared legitimate.

As long as it looks kosher, companies could take them without fear of repercussions. Hey, we did our job The documentation looked real; the photo looked like the person who presented it to me. It was valid on its face, said Scott Bettridge, chair of the law firm Cozen OConnors immigration practice, who represents construction companies.

Some employers dont want to know, the attorney added.

Finding people to fill low-paying, labor-intensive jobs, such as work on construction sites, has long been a headache for construction companies. Undocumented workers who account for 5.2 percent of Floridas workforce, according to a 2020 Center For American Progress report often filled that void. Employers faced few consequences for taking advantage of that workforce. Punishment typically came in the form of a fine, which contractors accepted as the cost of doing business.

But the calculus is likely to change. In addition to paying a fine, which could be as much as $1,000 a day, first-time violators of the newly enacted legislation could be put on one-year probation. Repeat offenders could have their Florida state contractors license suspended or revoked, representing existential threats to construction companies.

The penalties are some of the strongest in the country, according to Bettridge. Texas also requires employers to use the E-Verify system, but the sanctions are not as stringent. In addition, Florida counts the agricultural and hospitality sectors as two of its major industries, which also rely the most heavily on undocumented workers. All three industries employ the highest share of illegal workers, according to a 2016 Pew Research report.

The law does not go into effect until July 1, but it already appears to be warding off undocumented workers. Videos on Twitter and TikTok have gone viral, purporting to show once-busy construction sites now empty. One video shows a worker at a Wynwood construction site warning his colleagues in Spanish about the impending new law: Its going to be impossible for you to work without papers.

These changes are sure to hike up costs for developers. There are a lot of factors contributing to the inflationary costs and tight labor markets. Will this further tighten it? Yes, Dyga said. Then itll be up to the developers to figure out if financially doing that product is worthwhile.

Higher-cost labor would represent another blow to the real estate industry, which is already battling skyrocketing prices due to overall inflation and interest rate hikes. While the lending market has slowed nationwide, South Florida remains resilient, a region where developers still nab sizable loans to move projects forward. But the newly enacted legislation could potentially slow the pace of development.

Despite lobbying for the measure and signing the bill into law, not everyone blames DeSantis. Dyga faults the federal government for not giving the record number of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border work permits as their cases move through the court system.

Still, the new legislation is intended to cast out illegal immigrants from Florida by making it inhospitable for them. Beyond the requirement for companies, the law requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to collect the immigration status of patients and report the health care cost of illegal immigrants to the state. It also prevents Florida from issuing IDs and drivers licenses to undocumented people and voids those issued by other states.

So far, developers are staying mum about the new law. Commercial Observer reached out to dozens based in South Florida, but none agreed to comment.

Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.

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Florida Immigration Bill Likely to Hurt Construction Labor Market - Commercial Observer

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are being urged to collaborate and develop model legislation and a regional migration policy to protect citizens from illegal migration practices.

Making the call, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said illegal migration practices have increased exponentially across the Americas since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in Caribbean nationals exposing themselves to dangerous situations.

He was addressing the 26th meeting of the CARICOM Standing Committees of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs (CICC) conference, held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, on Tuesday (May 16).

Dr. Chang explained that the harsh economic conditions that followed the halting of international travel is one of the main drivers influencing migration of people from the Caribbean.

Against that background, he said increased dialogue and cooperation is critical to strengthen CARICOMS capacity to manage migration challenges.

Given the obvious and immediate danger that these illegal migration practices pose to our population, we must develop model legislation and a regional migration policy as a matter of priority, in order to help give the governance framework for regional migration more structure, Dr. Chang said.

He informed that Jamaica has moved to take action in this regard with the development of its first National Visa Policy.

The Minister noted that the policy was established out of a broad-based consultative process and is now at its final stages of development.

In addition, work is underway to amend our immigration laws to support this strengthened regime, he informed.

Meanwhile, the Minister encouraged the chiefs of immigration and comptrollers of customs from the different CARICOM nations to use the meeting to advance specific security initiatives, which set the conditions for attaining deeper levels of Caribbean unity, strengthened community governance, and strengthened global influence.

The three-day meeting, which ends on Thursday (May 18), brings together regional border security officials to review the immigration processes, determine the status of regional security structures and assess the need for modification, in view of new and emerging trends.

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Caricom To Collaborate on Protecting Citizens From Illegal ... - NYCaribNews

The open-borders lobby is no stranger to bad-faith reform proposals, abusing the language of fairness as they try to scrap all migration controls entirely. Unfortunately for American citizens, bad ideas frequently come from unusual suspects. Even while acknowledging our Southwestern border crisis, two Republican governors are now among those advocating for a potentially disastrous plan that would wreak havoc on our legal immigrationpolicies.

Governors Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Spencer Cox of Utah endorsed state-sponsored visas in The Washington Post in February, strengthening more recent pushes for this flawed and destructive policy. Their proposal would allow states to sponsor visas (which only the federal government can grant) specifically for immigrants to fill entry-level, low-skill roles in that state. The governors inexplicably present this plan as a solution to both our border crisis and supposed local labor shortages, and business groups hungry for cheap labor to undercut Americans have joined their cause in Newsweek.

The basic premise of this proposal is fatally flawed because states do not exist in isolation and travel between them is unrestricted. Allowing sanctuary states like California to unilaterally admit immigrants into the U.S. undermines the most basic structure of federalism by usurping the federal responsibility to control and regulate immigration. No effective controls exist that would keep those admitted from moving wherever they want in the country, and the proposal would not extend to states the ability to refuse these immigrants. There are no solutions to state-level shortages addressed here because immigration is by its nature not something that can be restricted to one place. State-sponsored admission of low-skill foreign workers could become a backdoor for a few states to flood the rest with un-asked-for competition and crowd out Americancitizens.

In fact, that crowding actually seems to be the desired effect. The American Business Immigration Coalitions use of the nonsense term parole visas in their Newsweek piecebetrays the open-borders cheap labor lobbys true intentions. Immigration parole, intended for very limited uses, is currently being grossly abused without oversight to bring hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into the U.S. every year (a number the piece incredibly calls very limited) with work authorization. If 360,000 illegal aliens ushered into the U.S. annually by the federal government is a very limited number to the cheap labor lobby, imagine how many millions would be admitted if the parole abuses of the White House extended to state capitols across the country. Cheap illegal alien workers are a huge net drain on the economy, not a benefit, and these governors proposals would actively hurt their American constituents who would be replaced by lower-paid foreign workers.

Bad policies that make U.S. immigration law look weak create a self-perpetuating cycle of illegal immigration, as weve seen throughout the Biden administration. Inadequate enforcement and poorly conceived handouts like this proposal draw, rather than deter, ever more migration to the U.S. and strengthen the pull to the border, while American citizens pay for the incredible expense that these migrants create in our schools and hospitals. American jobs should not be a free-for-all for the lowest bidder, but proposals like this show that the cheap-labor lobby and many politicians would be happy to put American citizens last inline.

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Big Business' New Plan Would Create Fifty New Immigration Policies - Federation for American Immigration Reform

Many illegal immigrants released into the U.S. are being given court dates several years in the future, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. in the meantime.

Even as President Biden's administration is seeking to release migrants into the U.S. with no court dates at all, the Department of Homeland Security is already issuing court dates that would allow migrants to set up a whole new life for themselves before appearing at an immigration court to determine whether they should be removed.

Migrants fresh across the border shared their DHS I-862 forms that display court summons dates three, four and even five years into the future, according to a Monday report from the Washington Examiner. Fox News Digital has also confirmed court dates set for up to five years after a migrant crosses the border.

"My court date is set for a year away in Oregon, but my mother was told to wait 10 years before she can see a judge," one 23-year-old immigrant from Venezuela told WEX.

BORDER PATROL ENCOUNTERS 10,000 MIGRANTS FOR THIRD DAY IN A ROW AS NUMBERS SWELL BEFORE TITLE 42 DROPS

A DHS I-862 form showing a migrant who entered the U.S. illegally is not due to appear in court until June 2026. (Fox News)

Many migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are being given court dates several years in the future. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

WHITE HOUSE RAGES AFTER FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS RELEASE OF MIGRANTS WITHOUT COURT DATES: SABOTAGE

Fox News has not confirmed any instances of a migrant receiving a court date set for 10 years after their release.

The massively delayed court dates come as U.S. border officials struggle to stem the flow of migrants across the U.S. border. Illegal immigration reached all-time highs last week in the days leading up to the end of Title 42, a Trump-era policy allowing for the speedy deportation of migrants.

Border crossings have subsided slightly since Title 42's end on Thursday. That may have been due to reports from migrants who said that a whisper campaign suggested to many people south of the border that the best time to come to the U.S. was prior to the end of Title 42, despite the law actually serving as a tool for deportations, according to NBC.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has presided over migrants receiving court dates that are several years after they are released into the U.S. (Getty Images)

ABC'S JON KARL SUGGESTS BIDEN ADMIN TOO TOUGH ON MIGRANTS DURING MAYORKAS INTERVIEW

Biden stated Sunday that the border looks "much better than you all expected," after the end of Title 42. He added that he has no immediate plans to visit the border because doing so would "just be disruptive."

President Joe Biden says the situation at the border is "much better" than many expected this weekend. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, in New York City, homeless military veterans were being kicked out of shelters in order to make room for incoming migrants this week.

Fox News's Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

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Illegal immigrants get court dates scheduled for years in the future, allowed to stay in US in the meantime - Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are launching a probe into the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) over reports the agency was paying taxpayer money to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) who are aiding illegal immigration.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter led by House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., Reps. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., and Jake LaTurner, R-Ks., to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell regarding reports that NGOs paid taxpayer dollars were helping people illegally immigrate to the U.S.

In the letter, the Republicans wrote they are "conducting oversight" of FEMAs Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) in the wake of the inspector generals report, noting the agency works closely with NGOs through the program "to provide shelter, food, and other supportive services such as travel to illegal border crossers."

DHS OIG FINDS MILLIONS IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS MISUSED BY NGOS, GIVEN TO GOTAWAY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter led by House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., Reps. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., and Jake LaTurner, R-Ks., to FEMA regarding reports that NGOs paid taxpayer dollars were helping people illegally immigrate to the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

"Based on recent reporting, EFSP funds are possibly being used by certain NGOs to offset expenses incurred abroad in efforts to facilitate and incentivize illegal immigration to the United States," the lawmakers wrote.

"If true, this is a gross misuse of federal taxpayer dollars," the Republicans continued. "Therefore, we request documents and communications related to FEMAs oversight of the EFSP and FEMAs plan to ensure EFSP only reimburses authorized expenses."

Comer, Grothman, LaTurner and their colleagues pointed to recent reporting that outlined "how the American Red Cross is contributing to not helping ot alleviate illegal immigration" and that the organization "appoints a member to the National Board governing EFSP."

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR DOJ TO INVESTIGATE RED CROSS GUIDES GIVEN TO US-BOUND MIGRANTS

Comer, Grothman, LaTurner and their colleagues pointed to recent reporting that outlined "how the American Red Cross is contributing to not helping ot alleviate illegal immigration" and that the organization "appoints a member to the National Board governing EFSP." (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

"The report shows that migrants in Central America and Mexico were provided with detailed maps," the lawmakers wrote. "These maps included clearly defined routes to cities along the southwest U.S. border, and guides with helpful tips for the dangerous journey, including how to deal with forest, jungle, or desert terrain, how to avoid injury when jumping on trains traveling north through Mexico to the southwest border, and usage of flotation devices if crossing rivers or bodies of water."

"These maps even included simple legal advice including an admonition to inquire of authorities about the possibilities of seeking asylum," they continued. "These maps and guides were stamped with the logo and name of The American Red Cross along with Red Cross organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama, and the International Committee of the Red Cross."

The lawmakers wrote that, in addition to "the American Red Cross working to facilitate migrants journeys to the southwest border, a DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report questions FEMAs oversight of EFSP reimbursements in general."

A recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report revealed that some of the $110 million from the American Rescue Plan for migrants encountered at the southern border was misspent by nonprofits and, in some cases, was given to illegal immigrants who had evaded Border Patrol.

The Republicans said the American Rescue Plan "funds in this program may only be used to reimburse" NGOs and local recipient organizations (LROs) "for services provided to individuals encountered and released by DHS personnel."

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 4: Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., walks down the House steps after a vote in the Capitol on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)

"Yet DHS OIG found that LROs were reimbursed for services to individuals who were never encountered by DHS personnel, indicating ESFP funded organizations provided taxpayer-reimbursed services to gotaways," the lawmakers wrote.

"Under the Biden Administration, DHS has relied on NGOs as a critical pillar of its efforts to speed up releases of and provide onward travel throughout the country to illegal border crossers," they continued.

"The Consolidated Appropriations Act required U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to transfer $800 million of its appropriation to FEMA "to support sheltering and related activities provided by non-Federal entities, including facility improvement and construction, in support of relieving overcrowding in short-term holding facilities of [CBP]. FEMA recently announced that it would make $350 million of those funds available to EFSP to help local communities around the country better manage the costs of noncitizen arrivals in their communities."

The Republicans slammed President Biden and his administration for issuing "a series of executive orders, memoranda, and other policies that eroded deterrence and undermined border security."

They also pointed to a federal judge who "recently compared the Biden Administrations policies to posting a flashing Come In, Were Open sign on the southern border" and warned that these "disastrous policies have led to unprecedented encounters of illegal border crossers at the southwest border and subsequent releases from custody in many cases."

"Taxpayer funded NGOs then facilitate illegal border crossers release and onward travel throughout the country," the letter reads. "These releases have overwhelmed American communities from Yuma and El Paso to Marthas Vineyard and New York City."

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 27: FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new DC Emergency Operations Center in the Navy Yard neighborhood on Monday, February 27, 2023. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also attended. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)

The Republicans requested documents and communications from FEMA regarding the EFSP from the beginning of Bidens term on January 20, 2021 to the present, including all "documents and communications within FEMA, including the EFSP National Board, regarding National Board member organizations activities to aid individuals abroad who are inadmissible to the U.S. and intend to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border or present themselves for inspection at a port of entry."

Joining Comer, Grothman, and LaTurner on the letter are the majority of the House Oversight Committee Republicans, including Reps. Pete Sessions of Texas, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Lisa McClain of Michigan, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

FEMA press secretary Jeremy M. Edwards told Fox News Digital, "FEMA responds to Congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight."

The Daily Caller reported last month on the packets, which the outlet said showed resources, including maps, clinics and shelters in Mexico and Central America. The packets included maps with defined lines leading to U.S. border cities and a "self-care" guide that includes tips on how to safely jump on cargo trains and obtain contraceptives.

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"Traveling seated (on trains) is the most recommended. Be careful on your trip, there are branches, electric cables, tunnels that can hit you. Accommodate yourself where you have supporting points," the documents said, according to the outlet.

Last month, GOP Reps. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin and Lance Gooden of Texas called for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate reports that the Red Cross is providing packets, including maps and other resources, to migrants looking to cross into the U.S. via the southern border.

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House Oversight GOP launches probe into FEMA over tax money going to NGOs aiding illegal immigration - Fox News