Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a tough immigration law and some Latino truckers are calling for a Sunshine State boycott.
“I don’t know about you guys, but my truck will not be going to Florida at all,” one driver said in a TikTok video with almost 82,000 likes, according to Newsweek. “If we all came together as one community for Rogel Aguilera when he was facing injustice, I’m pretty sure we can all come together as a Latino community and boycott Florida as a whole.”
The measure puts tough penalties in place for employers who fail to comply with E-Verify regulations. Although largely redundant, the new law buttresses the Republican governor’s tough-on-illegal immigration position as he prepares a presidential bid. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats and Pres. Joe Biden have embraced policies that make migrating into the U.S. without a visa easier. The flap has drawn the anger of at least some truckers who hail from Latin America.
Democrat-leaning media outlets are covering the issue and portraying it as a potentially critical supply chain issue. The Tallahassee Democrat threw up a splashy headline that reads: ‘My truck won’t move.’ Are truckers boycotting Florida over DeSantis’ new immigration law? Similarly, Newsweek posted the headline: Latino Truckers to Boycott Florida, Videos Show: ‘Will Not Be Going.’
“Spanish language social media has exploded with Latino truck drivers calling for a boycott and refusing to take shipments into Florida,” independent journalist Arturo Dominguez, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. “Things are about to get interesting.”
The latest wedge-issue controversy arose after the Biden Administration agreed to eliminate the Trump-era Title 42 policy. The previous administration tied a type of “Remain in Mexico” offshoot policy for asylum seekers to the pandemic. When the health emergency was vacated by Pres. Biden, so was Title 42. Many anticipated a surge in border-crossers and Florida Republicans reacted.
“We’re bracing for some turbulent times ahead,” Gov. DeSantis reportedly said. “And I think when you have a president who has turned a blind eye to what’s gone on at the border. We’re protecting Floridians, to the full extent of our ability.”
Mainstream media coverage of the “surge” has been as different as immigration politics. Right-wing outlets tout short-term increases. Left-leaning media platforms see the end of Title 42 as a whimper. Whether the Latino trucker boycott is just another social media cancel culture blip or a significant supply chain issue remains to be seen.
Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/latino-truckers-boycott-florida-ron-desantis-migrant-law-1800421
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