Governor DeSantis is launching new initiatives to combat undocumented migrants.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Jacksonville Thursday morning to speak about what he calls an ongoing crisis when it comes to migrants entering the United States illegally, according to News 6 partner News4Jax.

“This country cannot control its borders,” DeSantis said.

Standing behind a sign that read “Biden’s Border Crisis,” DeSantis lambasted President Joe Biden’s policies on the border and said it was leading to an influx of drugs and other problems.

DeSantis touted a number of legislative priorities that he said would be aimed at combating undocumented immigrants in Florida.

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“Wouldn’t it be better to say that the migrants coming to Florida are American citizens, or at least people who are here legally? And that’s what we’re aiming for,” DeSantis said.

He said the Florida legislature will consider a bill that would increase the penalties for those charged with human smuggling in the state, increasing the penalty to a felony in the third degree, with a separate offense for each person. This can lead to 5 years in prison if found guilty, and can be a heavier penalty if the smuggler is under 18.

DeSantis also said he wants to “remove the lure of employment” for migrants who want to come to Florida by requiring employers to use “E-Verify,” a web-based system that allows employers to verify their employees’ eligibility to work in Florida. United States.

Right now, Florida law requires all public employers and their private contractors to use E-Verify, a system administered by the US Department of Homeland Security. But private employers are not required to use this system.

Early in his first term, DeSantis tried to push the legislature for mandatory universal E-Verify, but it was met with a strong pushback from the hospitality and agriculture industries.

DeSantis said he also wants hospitals to hand over data showing how much it costs to provide medical care to undocumented immigrants.

“In the face of federal administration failure, border neglect, sincerely deliberate about what is happening on the border because it fits the vision, we are fighting back on behalf of the people of Florida, and I think if other states will emulate the proposals that I was nominated today, and the proposed legislation, it’s going to make a big, big difference,” DeSantis said.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration released a new rule that largely bars migrants who have traveled through other countries on their way to the US-Mexico border from applying for asylum in the United States, a departure from decades of protocol.

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