Florida’s Immigration Law Is a Misfire

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s economic record may be the biggest selling point of his presidential campaign. Yet he’s doing neither his state nor his campaign a favor with an immigration crackdown that looks excessive and may do economic damage in the fast-growing state.

Mr. DeSantis signed legislation in May that he claimed would “combat Biden’s border crisis.” But the law, which took effect last week, does nothing to stem the flood of migrants taking advantage of the Biden Administration’s lax border enforcement and asylum-law loopholes. It will, however, worsen labor shortages.

The law requires employers with 25 or more workers to use the U.S. government’s E-Verify system to confirm the legal status of new hires. Those who don’t can be fined $1,000 a day. Businesses that “knowingly” employ undocumented immigrants can have their state licenses and permits revoked. Many employers may lay off workers they suspect are illegal to protect themselves.

An estimated 772,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Florida in 2019, many of whom have been there for years and contribute significantly to the state economy. Construction, agriculture and hospitality depend heavily on undocumented workforces, not least because of a shortage of U.S. workers for such lower-wage and -skilled jobs.

Employers in these industries are reporting that they have been losing long-time employees and can’t find new ones to replace them. Many workers who are here illegally are worried they will be found out, and some are moving to other states. A quarter to half of workers have reportedly gone missing from some construction sites in South Florida.

Florida is a top producer of tomatoes, oranges and avocados, yet about half of crop farm workers lack legal immigration status. One grower in Homestead told Noticias Telemundo that she has struggled to find workers since the law passed. “South Florida’s economy here in Homestead is agriculture. Most of them we know are undocumented,” she said. “Who’s going to harvest?”

Demand for services and housing are surging amid Florida’s population boom. That means more workers are needed to build homes, change hospital beds, serve nursing home patients meals, and keep restaurants open. Employers can raise wages only so much and stay in business, assuming they can find any workers. This will dent the state’s economic expansion, which has produced a jobs and tax-revenue boom and an affordable standard of living for nearly everyone.

Florida ranked second in state job growth over the last year after only Texas. Its 2.6% unemployment rate is near a record low. In Miami unemployment is 1.8%. In other words, Florida already suffers from a severe labor shortage, and now it will get worse.

Mr. DeSantis’s campaign immigration plan also parrots the restrictionist right’s lump of labor fallacy that illegal immigrants are taking U.S. jobs and reducing wages of America’s working class. This is contradicted by Florida’s experience and many economic studies. His plan also neglects the need for more legal pathways for migrants, which would help reduce illegal immigration.

Mr. DeSantis is right to lambaste the Biden Administration and Congress for their immigration failures. They have polarized the issue politically, and made solutions much more difficult. But it makes no sense for Mr. DeSantis to punish his own state even as he vows to clean up the mess in Washington.