Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated on Friday after government data revealed that Florida has led the way in E-Verify usage over the past year. The governor has focused on immigration enforcement in the state over the past several months.
"Florida leads on immigration enforcement… Nationwide E-Verify would help dry up the magnets that entice illegal aliens to come in the first place," DeSantis said. "Legal workforce = higher wages, less burden on taxpayers, and triumph of the rule of law."
E-Verify is an internet-based system that allows enrolled employers to verify the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. The system checks a person's Form I-9 and Employment Eligibility Verification against records with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.
According to the data, Florida recorded 42,813 E-Verify uses over the previous 12 months since March 31, far more than any other state. California was the next closest with 26,934 uses over that period, followed by Texas with 24,037, and Georgia with 23,652.
No other state recorded more than 20,000.
Specifically, E-Verify usage is determined by the total number of employers with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) who enrolled at least one case over the past 365 days.
In May 2023, Gov. DeSantis signed a bill into Florida law mandating the use of E-Verify for any employer with 25 or more employees. Lawmakers, including Sen. Jason Pizzo (I-Sunny Isles), attempted to change the law during this year's legislative session to require all companies to use E-Verify regardless of size.
The bill, SB 782, was postponed and withdrawn from consideration.
