Florida's immigration crackdown strained migrants, citizens alike, study finds
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Florida's aggressive immigration reform left a psychological and economic strain on undocumented immigrants as well as U.S. citizens, research from the University of South Florida finds.
Why it matters: Florida is home to more than a million undocumented people, and, as this research shows, the impact of policies targeting them spreads to their families and communities.
The big picture: President-elect Trump has vowed to start mass deportations immediately upon taking office and Gov. Ron DeSantis has signaled he'll aid the new administration's efforts.
Catch up quick: DeSantis signed a law last year that he described as the "strongest" and "most ambitious" immigration crackdown in the nation.
- SB 1718 makes it harder for undocumented immigrants to live and work in the state. It punishes companies that hire them and requires some hospitals to ask about a patient's immigration status.
Zoom in: Between May and July of this year, researchers at the University of South Florida surveyed 466 immigrants, documented and undocumented, about how the law impacted them.
- The findings confirm much of what advocates feared when SB 1718 passed: Hundreds of immigrants report psychological and financial stress, and most of them have hesitated to seek medical care.
- 46% of respondents said they know someone who left the state because of the law, and 56% are concerned about access to educational services for themselves or their children.
- The researchers also observed SB 1718's "spillover" effects: U.S. citizens — some of whom have relatives who are undocumented — also reported increased psychological stress.
What they're saying: "Florida has become this smaller-scale experiment of cracking down on undocumented immigrants," says Elizabeth Aranda, a USF sociology professor who co-authored the study.
- "As that goes nationwide, come this next administration, this study could foreshadow effects that we might see" across the U.S.