Immigrant groups have called for a work stoppage throughout Florida on Thursday in protest of SB 1718, which they consider anti-immigrant and was recently passed by the state legislature.
Activists have asked immigrants not to show up for work, consume products or spend on services this Thursday, June 1.
The initiative is designed to hit Florida's economy and show Governor Ron DeSantis the importance of the immigrant community.
"We are going to close, we have to support our immigrant brothers," said William de la Cruz, owner of "Eagle Nursery" in Homestead, which would remain closed this Thursday.
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"Who is to blame? Just the governor. Because he is stirring up a hornet's nest. He got involved in something he shouldn't have gotten involved in, since he also benefits from the agriculture. This law is a mistake," de la Cruz added.
Several business owners across the state are joining the strike, including Hazel Narváez, who is also closing her barbershop and financial services in Homestead.
"We depend a lot on the immigrant community and if they leave, our businesses will also be shut down," Narváez declared.
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Other protests have been scheduled from Los Angeles, California to Immokalee, Florida.
What is SB 1718?
SB 1718 is an immigration law that goes into effect on July 1 in Florida.
- Requires companies with more than 25 employees to use the E-verify program to determine their immigration status when hiring workers and establishes fines for violators.
- Requires hospitals that accept public Medicaid and emergency departments to collect data on patients' immigration status.
- Makes transporting people to the state of Florida without immigration status a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
- Prohibits funding of city and county programs to provide ID cards to migrants without legal immigration status.
- Eliminates tuition fee waivers for undocumented immigrant students.
- Repeals the law that allows lawyers who are still regulating their immigration status to practice law.
- Requires law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples from people who do not have a legal immigration status and are detained under a federal detainer request.
- Allocates $12 million for the transfer of immigrants to other states of the country.
