DeSantis announces plan to tackle illegal migration in Florida

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced proposals to fight illegal immigration in the state.

The proposed changes would expand the E-Verify system to the private sector, declare invalid any out-of-state licenses issued to illegal migrants, and bolster detention requirements, among other proposals to address the issue, the Washington Times reported.

Florida currently uses the E-Verify system for government employees, but the proposal would expand it to the wider economy, including to the migrant-reliant agriculture and hospitality industries.

Should the legislature approve the proposals and send them to DeSantis's desk to sign into law, the state would further bar its institutions from issuing I.D.s to illegal migrants, the Times noted.

Illegal migration in Florida has risen in recent years, especially in the Florida Keys, the state's southeastern island archipelago. Maritime migrants aboard makeshift vessels often use the chain as a landing point from which to access the U.S. interior.

DeSantis deployed the state National Guard to the area earlier this year to "provide resources in support of local governments responding to the alarming influx of migrants landing in the Florida Keys, and providing additional support toward efforts to prevent further migrant landings on Florida's shores."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.