Gov. Ron DeSantis Considering Measures to Regulate Outgoing Funds from Florida by Immigrants

HI INDIA NEWS DESK

FLORIDA- The office of Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida explored potential new state restrictions on remittances. The email was sent to Sen. Ileana Garcia, who had voted in favor of legislation aimed at curbing undocumented immigration. The email included a summary of the legislation and mentioned a provision for verifying the identity of those sending remittances out of the country. However, this provision was not present in the actual legislation.

The discrepancy in the email suggests that the DeSantis administration was internally considering a crackdown on remittances during the legislative session. This could be a strategy to gain attention from Republican primary voters in other states for his presidential campaign. While the Governor’s office did not explain the discrepancy, it’s worth noting that DeSantis has previously called for a national tax on remittances sent by undocumented individuals working in the United States.

Remittances are a significant source of support for families in other countries and contribute to both the U.S. and recipient countries’ economies. Erecting additional barriers, such as imposing stricter ID requirements, could deter workers from sending remittances and lead to increased costs for sending money. This could particularly affect Cuban-Americans, for whom sending money to Cuba is already expensive. Experts also suggest that such measures might encourage the use of less secure channels for remittances.

DeSantis’ broader immigration legislation has faced legal challenges and includes provisions that cut funding to organizations helping undocumented people, invalidates out-of-state driver’s licenses, requires hospitals to collect immigration status information, and increases penalties for businesses employing undocumented workers. The speculation is that DeSantis might continue his focus on immigration issues, possibly including targeting remittances, as part of his political strategy.