Ron DeSantis’s crackdown on illegal workers in Florida has boosted the state’s economic performance, despite gloomy predictions from the media, commentators and “experts” that it would do the opposite.
DeSantis took to Twitter earlier this week to hail the Sunshine State’s latest figures, which show, he claims, that “incentivizing more illegal immigration” is actually a counterproductive economic policy.
“FL’s best-in-the-nation legislation combatting illegal immigration generated the typical array of false media narratives,” DeSantis Tweeted.
“That such narratives blew up shows that good policy pays dividends. The goal needs to be disfavoring illegal immigration rather than—as is common across the US—incentivizing more illegal immigration.”
New economic data revealed Florida’s GDP grew by 3.2% from Q1 to Q2 2024. In addition, the state added 133,000 jobs between October 2023 and now.
In May, Florida passed a sweeping bill, SB1718, that includes mandatory E-verify rules for hiring workers, a ban on local governments issuing IDs to migrants, and harsh sanctions for businesses that hire illegals.
Forbes recently hailed DeSantis’s legislation as a model to be followed on the national level under the second Trump administration.
“So far, the critics have been wrong. Florida’s economy has continued to grow despite warnings about the impact of SB1718. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the state’s gross domestic product increased by 9.2% last year, tops in the nation and outpacing the national average by nearly 3 percentage points. In 2024, Florida’s economic growth remains strong, surpassing the national average in the first two quarters of the year, with Florida being one of just a handful of states to post 6% growth or higher in both quarters. This comes despite the Florida Policy Institute warning that the E-Verify requirement alone could cost the state $12.6 billion in its first year.”