Texas, Florida laws have Latinos rethinking where they live

Published

3 years ago

May 18, 2023

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Legislation in Florida and Texas to crack down on undocumented immigrants is prompting some Hispanics to reconsider where they live and work.

In Florida, videos of empty workplaces began to go viral after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill that ratchets up sanctions for employing undocumented workers.

Those videos have caused a stir and energized some Hispanic communities, but they also reflect real fears, say advocates.

“I think there is a form of protest to it. I’m sure there is, ‘Well you’re gonna regret it because you need us,’ which is absolutely true. But also, I’m sure there’s a palpable sense of fear among the immigrant community,” said Mario Carrillo, campaigns manager for America’s Voice, a progressive immigration advocacy group.

The Florida law goes into effect July 1, stacked with provisions that will make daily life harder for undocumented immigrants and their communities.

“Florida is a dangerous, hostile environment for law-abiding Americans and immigrants. It’s not always been that way,” said Domingo García, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

“And we need to make sure that everybody understands that you can be arrested for literally taking somebody to the hospital, for literally taking somebody to Disney World.”

Among other provisions, the state will no longer recognize driver’s licenses issued out of state to undocumented immigrants, and it will prohibit Florida counties from issuing ID cards to them, as well.

The law also mandates the use of E-Verify for hirings, a controversial registry program that opponents say too often returns false positives, preventing documented immigrants or U.S. citizens from working legally.

According to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which runs E-Verify, nearly 60,000 job applicants who were marked as undocumented have been able to prove their legal right to work in the country.

Out of more than 48 million job applicants, the system only found about 525,000 unauthorized applicants.

The law also penalizes transportation of undocumented immigrants in a way that advocates say far exceeds any human trafficking prevention statute.

In Texas, Republicans last week passed a bill through the state House that would create the “Border Protection Unit,” a specialized immigration police force that would operate in counties along the border, where the state’s Hispanic population is concentrated.

The Border Protection Unit bill was folded into another immigration bill in the House after Democrats thought they had killed the proposal through legislative maneuvers a day earlier.

“There’s always hope that with our very short session every two years that things die … but it very unfortunately seems likely to pass,” said Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas).

With the path clear for Texas and Florida to enact the strictest enforcement actions against undocumented immigrants in their history, the states will join a group that has attempted to supplant federal immigration enforcement with local laws.

Historically, the most stringent of those laws have come with a political cost.

In California in 1994, passage of Proposition 187 precipitated the state’s shift toward Democrats, and Arizona’s 2010 law known as SB 1070 energized young Hispanics to become more involved in politics, often on the Democratic side.

“I want the governor of Florida and the politicians in Florida to remember what happened in California when they did something similar, what happened in Arizona when they did something similar,” García said.

García also announced LULAC is issuing a “travel advisory” against Florida, a move the group has only taken once before, when Arizona approved SB 1070.

“On the ‘travel advisory,’ and as the governor noted previously, this type of thing is a political stunt. We aren’t going to waste time on political stunts but will continue doing what is right for Floridians,” said Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for DeSantis.

Asked about concerns of a lack of workers in Florida with the new law, DeSantis on Monday said the state has historically required workers to be in the country legally.

“When we have something like an E-Verify, that’s a tool to make sure that longstanding Florida law is enforced,” said DeSantis.

“You cannot build a strong economy based on illegality.”

But some in Florida say cracking down on the more than 770,000 undocumented people in the Sunshine State will have dire consequences.

“I am deeply concerned. DeSantis has declared war against immigrant workers in Florida. Their exodus could bring our tourism, agriculture and construction industries to a grinding halt,” said Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.).

And while DeSantis has broad support in Florida, including among many sectors of the Hispanic community, some say tough enforcement could erode it.

“The more this stuff plays out, people who are profiled — it might be hard to tell in a car if you’re Cuban or Mexican,” said Mario H. Lopez, president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, a conservative advocacy group.

“So it’ll be interesting to see if Cubans start getting pulled over and start being questioned about their status and who is in their car, and what they might be guilty of,” Lopez added. “Only time will tell. but that’s certainly a strong possibility.”

Opponents of the bills are especially frustrated by what they see as a bald political move by both governors in light of the 2024 presidential race.

“This is all part of that Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis cruelty contest to be the next Donald Trump,” Casar said.

Many Hispanics in Florida and Texas say they feel sidelined by the political rush to score points with the GOP base, potentially putting their communities at risk.

Carrillo, who considered leaving Texas because his wife is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, said that race to the right could end badly.

“I don’t think for Greg Abbott it’s really about protecting migrants; I don’t think it’s about protecting the border communities. It’s just about amplifying his bona fides as anti-immigrant in what might be a presidential run for him,” Carrillo said. Latest border figures show 56 percent drop in encounters following lift of Title 42 Texas Gov. Abbott asks governors to fight Biden asylum rules

“I don’t know what his political ambitions are, obviously, but it just seems like between him and DeSantis, they’re kind of trying to outdo each other on who becomes the most anti-immigrant governor in the country. And I’m just afraid to see the results of that.”

And whether the bills are motivated by politics or principle, opponents say, is irrelevant.

“I’m not sure what’s worse in the end, if he’s a true believer in the replacement theory, or if it’s just posturing,” said Lopez.

Entertainment

Netflix takeover of Warner Bros ‘could be a problem’, Donald Trump says

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

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Netflix takeover of Warner Bros 'could be a problem', Donald Trump says

Donald Trump has said he will be “involved” in the decision on whether Netflix should be allowed to buy Warner Bros, as the $72bn (£54bn) deal attracts a media industry backlash.

The US president acknowledged in remarks to reporters there “could be a problem”, acknowledging concerns over the streaming giant’s market dominance.

Crucially, he did not say where he stood on the issue.

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It was revealed on Friday that Netflix, already the world’s biggest streaming service by market share, had agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s TV, film studios and HBO Max streaming division.

The deal aims to complete late next year after the Discovery element of the business, mainly legacy TV channels showing cartoons, news and sport, has been spun off.

But the deal has attracted cross-party criticism on competition grounds, and there is also opposition in Hollywood.

The Writers Guild of America said: “The world’s largest streaming company swallowing one of its biggest competitors is what antitrust laws were designed to prevent.

“The outcome would eliminate jobs, push down wages, worsen conditions for all entertainment workers, raise prices for consumers, and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers.”

Republican Senator, Roger Marshall, said in a statement: “Netflix’s attempt to buy Warner Bros would be the largest media takeover in history – and it raises serious red flags for consumers, creators, movie theaters, and local businesses alike.

“One company should not have full vertical control of the content and the distribution pipeline that delivers it. And combining two of the largest streaming platforms is a textbook horizontal Antitrust problem.

“Prices, choice, and creative freedom are at stake. Regulators need to take a hard look at this deal, and realize how harmful it would be for consumers and Western society.”

Paramount Skydance and Comcast, the parent company of Sky News, were two other bidders in the auction process that preceded the announcement.

The Reuters news agency, citing information from sources, said their bids were rejected in favour of Netflix for different reasons.

Paramount’s was seen as having funding concerns, they said, while Comcast’s was deemed not to offer so many earlier benefits.

Paramount is run by David Ellison, the son of the Oracle tech billionaire Larry Ellison, who is a close ally of Mr Trump.

The president said of the Netflix deal’s path to regulatory clearance: “I’ll be involved in that decision”.

On the likely opposition to the deal. he added: “That’s going to be for some economists to tell. But it is a big market share. There’s no question it could be a problem.”

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