Joe.My.God. LGBT News
From the Wall Street Journal editorial board:
An estimated 772,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Florida in 2019, many of whom have been there for years and contribute significantly to the state economy. Construction, agriculture and hospitality depend heavily on undocumented workforces, not least because of a shortage of U.S. workers for such lower-wage and -skilled jobs.
Employers in these industries are reporting that they have been losing long-time employees and can’t find new ones to replace them. Many workers who are here illegally are worried they will be found out, and some are moving to other states. A quarter to half of workers have reportedly gone missing from some construction sites in South Florida.
Florida is a top producer of tomatoes, oranges and avocados, yet about half of crop farm workers lack legal immigration status. Demand for services and housing are surging amid Florida’s population boom. That means more workers are needed to build homes, change hospital beds, serve nursing home patients meals, and keep restaurants open. Employers can raise wages only so much and stay in business, assuming they can find any workers.
Read the full editorial. No paywall.
How bad is DeSantis’s immigration crackdown?
It’s so bad, even the WSJ edit page thinks it’s bad:
“It makes no sense for Mr. DeSantis to punish his own state.”https://t.co/jpWVtkRx8d
— Bill Grueskin (@BGrueskin) July 7, 2023