DeSantis touts results from anti-illegal immigrant moves, as ‘sanctuary’ cities struggle with migrant influx

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting results successful his efforts to marque definite Florida is not an charismatic destination for amerciable immigrants, arsenic caller information amusement that the state’s Medicaid spending connected amerciable immigrants has dropped sharply.

State information obtained by Fox News Digital shows that successful FY 2022-2023, $159 cardinal successful authorities and national dollars went to Medicaid for immigrants. In May 2023, DeSantis signed a instrumentality that included a proviso that requires hospitals to cod and taxable information connected the costs of providing wellness attraction to amerciable immigrants, meaning they indispensable inquire patients their migration status. That went into effect successful July 2023, erstwhile the caller fiscal twelvemonth began for the state.

So acold successful FY 23-24 arsenic of May (with 2 months inactive remaining), the magnitude spent connected Florida's Emergency Medical Assistance programme has dropped to $67 million, a driblet of implicit 50%.

MIGRANT MEDICAID COSTS CUT IN HALF IN FLORIDA FOLLOWING DESANTIS' POLICY CHANGE: REPORT

The information was archetypal reported by Politico, which noted the transportation betwixt the instrumentality and the driblet successful Medicaid spending. While patients aren't forced to answer, activists warned that it could person a chilling effect connected immigrants seeking aesculapian care. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid nether national law, but states are required to supply attraction successful an emergency.

The measure DeSantis signed included different provisions designed to marque Florida little welcoming for those who person entered illegally. They see mandatory E-Verify, a prohibition connected NGOs and section governments issuing IDs to amerciable immigrants, moves to suspend licenses of employers who employment amerciable immigrants, and much wealth for a transport programme to determination amerciable immigrants to "sanctuary" jurisdictions.

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks astatine a property league successful Sanford, Florida, connected April 8, 2024. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In remarks connected "Hannity," DeSantis noted helium had already banned "sanctuary" jurisdictions successful Florida, but took much enactment erstwhile President Biden entered the White House.

"We knew we’d get nary enactment from the national government. So we've had to bash each these antithetic things astatine the authorities level to beryllium capable to deter amerciable migration into our state," helium said.

He besides connected the instrumentality to the driblet successful Medicaid spending: "We made definite erstwhile you person radical amusement up astatine the infirmary that we're asking astir migration status, and that's caused the Medicaid expenditures to plummet by 50%," helium said.

In remarks to reporters helium noted different moves, including expanding enforcement to the southern Florida coast to halt amerciable immigrants getting successful by boat, transports of migrants to places similar Martha’s Vineyard and sending troops to Texas to assistance halt amerciable immigration.

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He besides noted authorities that prevented driver's licenses fixed to amerciable immigrants successful different states from being recognized successful the Sunshine State.

"So we've been capable to bash a batch connected that to deter radical from wanting to come," helium said.

The moves person sparked outrage from migration activists, who accidental the moves are cruel and anti-immigrant. Meanwhile, immoderate businesses person said they person seen an exodus of workers, which is hurting their bottommost enactment successful industries similar agriculture. 

"Maybe they deliberation the crops are gonna prime themselves," 1 concern proprietor told NPR successful April.

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Migrants committee a metropolis autobus to a structure intake halfway aft traveling from Del Rio, Texas, astatine the Port Authority Bus Terminal successful New York, connected May 13, 2023. (Victor J. Blue/Getty Images)

But portion places similar Miami person traditionally been a cardinal accomplishment constituent for amerciable immigrants, Florida has avoided immoderate of the hazards connected to the migrant situation that person near immoderate bluish cities and states struggling.

Last week, Mass. Gov. Maura Healey sent officials to the borderline to pass migrants that the state’s structure strategy is afloat and cannot judge caller arrivals. Healey had declared a authorities of exigency past twelvemonth implicit the crisis.

Elsewhere, cities similar New York City, Boston and Chicago person pleaded with the national authorities to springiness them much backing and migrants expedited enactment permits successful bid to alleviate the burdens that the surge successful caller arrivals has caused. Those cities and states person often stressed their much welcoming attack to migrants, and person adjacent successful immoderate cases admitted it whitethorn beryllium encouraging migration.

The moves pat into a nationalist statement implicit however to grip amerciable immigration. The Biden medication has taken measures to marque the process astatine the borderline much orderly, successful a mode it says is much successful enactment with U.S. values. It has called for Congress to supply much backing and sweeping migration reforms to marque that happen.

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Republicans, meanwhile, person blamed the medication for fueling the situation with its policies, and person called for stricter borderline information and limits connected introduction into the United States.