BRADENTON, Fla. — Groups in Manatee County pushed back Friday at newly signed immigration reform by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis said the legislation is more necessary after the end of the pandemic-era rule Title 42, which allowed the country to quickly turn away migrants crossing illegally. Groups who condemned the law Friday included the Manatee County Democratic Party and the local branch of the NAACP.
Cesar "CJ" Garcia of Bold Voter Action said he fears for undocumented immigrants, including some of his loved ones. Some are already expressing a desire to leave the state out of fear.
"Some things are hard to explain," Garcia said in response to the new law. "I was angry. I was emotional."
Garcia argues the law will have negative consequences on Florida's economy, labor force and consumer spending. For instance, a number of undocumented immigrants work in Florida's agriculture and construction industries.
DeSantis responded to the end of Title 42 during a press conference in Fort Myers on Friday.
"This country doesn't get things right anymore," DeSantis said of President Joe Biden's handling of the border.
For instance, DeSantis called out the Biden Administration's "soft" policies referencing the amount of fentanyl going into the country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they are beyond capacity.
While the end of Title 42 did not result in a "substantial" increase in migrant encounters overnight, according to U.S. Homeland Security officials, they acknowledged that Border Patrol officials are dealing with historically high levels of migration along the border.
"You can't have people coming in superseding the rule of law and just doing it on their own," DeSantis said.
The law will include more penalties for people transporting undocumented immigrants into the state with up to 15 years in prison. Hospitals taking Medicaid must also ask patients about their citizenship.
Luis Castro, an immigration attorney, argues the law instills fear into the community. The repercussions may lead to an increase in profiling, he said.
The new immigration law takes effect July 1.