The president of Mexico criticized the new law approved by Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and Republican candidate for the presidency of the United States, which may lead to greater discrimination for immigrants in that state and asked on Monday that no one vote for him.
“Not a vote for DeSantis,” said Andrés Manuel López Obrador at his press conference, appealing to the Mexican and Latino community in the neighboring country. “Not a vote for those who despise migrants.”
Mexico fears that the regulations that Florida has brought forward and that went into effect on Saturday will cause discrimination against migrants and exacerbate hostile or hateful behaviors towards them because it will toughen the penalties for employers who hire those who are in the country irregularly.
In addition, the law strengthens DeSantis’ immigrant resettlement program and limits social services for immigrants who lack permanent legal status.
“We cannot remain silent,” stressed the Mexican president in what is a new breach of Mexico’s principle of non-intervention in the politics of other countries. In March, López Obrador called the Peruvian government racist and illegitimate.
The legislation DeSantis signed into law expands the requirements for companies with more than 25 employees to use E-Verify, a federal system that determines whether employees can legally work in the United States.
Another provision requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms, which critics say is intended to discourage immigrants living in the United States illegally from seeking medical care.
In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the Florida law will affect the human rights of thousands of people and children “exacerbating hostile environments that can lead to acts or hate crimes against the migrant community.”
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