Pedro Matos, a lawyer, listening to a question during an immigration information session at the Hope Community Center in Apopka, Fla., June 16, 2023.
Juan Baregas, a subcontractor who does framing for a large developer in Central Florida, said that he had lost half of his crew of 40 in recent weeks, limiting his ability to complete projects. “This law isn’t getting to a solution,” said Conlan, who has visited Tallahassee to press for policies that would allow his industry to legally hire the workers it needs.
Starting in the 2000s, a few states began crafting bills to clamp down on illegal immigration by, among other things, enlisting police officers to identify unauthorized immigrants and imposing penalties on people who sheltered, hired and transported them. Arizona passed a far-reaching law in 2010, and Alabama and Georgia followed the next year. But many provisions were gutted by court challenges.
Several Florida employers in various sectors who were contacted by The New York Times said they did not want to talk about the new law and any effect it was having. Several others did not respond to phone messages and emailed questions.