Protests in West Palm Beach, across Florida over DeSantis' immigration law

Protests took place in West Palm Beach and across Florida while some businesses across the state shut their doors Thursday in opposition to a tough, new immigration law pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis last week formally announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and is campaigning this week in Iowa and New Hampshire. A couple of weeks earlier, he signed into law the sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigrants that is the subject of the protests.

“I’m trying to support all of the immigrant people,” said Victor Prado, general manager of El Mariachi restaurant in West Palm Beach, which was closed Thursday. “They come to this country to get a better life. We left everyone in our country to come to this beautiful country to live better.”

More: Live updates: Former FSU, NFL player Travis Rudolph returns to court for day 5 of murder trial

More: Breaking: Star chef to take over Ta-boo restaurant space in Palm Beach

More: Tropical depression forms in northeastern Gulf of Mexico, could become Arlene

Prado, a native of Mexico, entered the U.S. more than two decades ago and has gained citizenship, running the family restaurant for the past five years. But he said Florida’s new law will harm both immigrants and employers. Other area restaurants that reportedly closed Thursday along with El Mariachi were La Banana Loca in Greenacres and Tacos al Carbon in West Palm Beach.

The measure, which takes effect July 1, is considered among the toughest steps taken by any state to deter illegal aliens. But it has been condemned by critics as cruel and potentially leading to law enforcement profiling.

In Tallahassee, Chile & Chili's Taqueria announced on Instagram it would close on Thursday in protest of the immigration law, which imposes tough penalties and new restrictions on undocumented immigrants in Florida.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown West Palm Beach on Thursday, and marched from city hall down Flagler Drive to the Meyer Amphitheatre. A protest organizer said they will protest again Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., marching from city hall to the county courthouse.

"We apologize to our clients as we join our Latino brothers," the post reads.

The Florida protests were part of a nationwide effort led by Latino organizations opposing anti-immigration laws in several states and urging more comprehensive immigration reform by Congress. Demonstrations were planned for Jacksonville, Vero Beach, Orlando, Tampa and the farming communities of Immokalee and Pierson but others popped up, such as in West Palm Beach.

A protest Saturday over the Florida measure outside Homestead City Hall drew hundreds of people, many of them immigrants.

Immigration law: DeSantis signs illegal immigration crackdown and rails against Biden

Takeaways from the law: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs sweeping immigration bill SB 1718 into law

'The stakes couldn't be higher': Ron DeSantis kicks off 2024 presidential campaign in Iowa

The Florida law strengthens employment requirements and allows state law enforcement officials to conduct random audits of businesses suspected of hiring undocumented workers.

It also gives DeSantis an additional $12 million for a migrant relocation program similar to that used by the governor last year to lure almost 50 mostly Venezuelan asylum-seekers from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast.

Under the law, criminal penalties are increased for human smuggling, with third-degree felony charges imposed on anyone caught “knowingly” and “willingly” transporting anyone illegally in the country across state lines into Florida.

Transporting a minor or more than five undocumented people into the state carries a second-degree felony penalty. Undocumented migrants also could face felony charges by displaying a false ID to obtain employment.

In addition, all businesses with 25 or more employees would be required to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of new workers.

"We’re protecting Floridians, to the full extent of our ability," DeSantis said at the event in Jacksonville where he enacted the law. A podium sign read, "Biden's Border Crisis," in a swipe at the Democratic president.

But advocates for Florida's immigrant community are fighting back.

In the Florida Panhandle, Lalo's Drywall, a construction company that does work in Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson and Franklin counties, was closed Thursday in support of Florida's immigrant workforce.

"The governor isn’t doing a good job," said the owner, who asked not to be identified. "This is a bad decision. Us immigrants, we work hard to be here, and this is a bad law."

Santos Huerta, who works at Chile & Chili’s in Tallahassee, said she stands with Florida’s immigrant workforce. The taco truck’s staff heard about the protest from social media and wanted to participate in solidarity.

“I am one more of them,” she said. “We are a united community.”

Huerta, who was wearing gold cross earrings and a medallion of the Virgin Mary, said she believes God is looking out for the Hispanic people in Florida.

“He is with us, he won’t leave us behind, and we’ll keep going,” Huerta said.

In Naples, J&R Valdez Painting, Inc. owner Juan Valdez said all 45 of his workers will be on strike. Since the immigration bill passed in early May, he's lost 15 employees who have moved to other states.

“They have families that are immigrants, so they’re doing it for their families,” he said.

Under the law, local governments would be banned from contributing money to organizations that create identification cards for undocumented immigrants and driver’s licenses issued to non-citizens in other states would be barred from use in Florida, a provision critics say may cause confusion and law enforcement profiling, especially in a diverse, visitor-filled state.

Hospitals receiving state and federal Medicaid reimbursements would be required to track how much money is spent on undocumented immigrants in emergency rooms.

Hospitals also would be required to ask patients about whether they are in the country legally, a standard opponents say will discourage many people from seeking health care – even those who have been living for years in Florida cities.

"We truly believe that this is a moment when all of us have to stand up and fight back," said Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, with the Hope Community Center, a non-profit in Apopka, which works with immigrant families.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport. Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan. 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Opponents of DeSantis immigration law hold protests, business strikes