Does a video posted by Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer show dozens of "illegal" migrant workers arriving at a Florida hotel? No, that's not true: The workers were legally contracted to work for a central Florida plant nursery under the federal H-2A program, which allows qualifying employers to hire workers from outside the U.S. Those workers are subsequently granted a H-2A visa.
The claim, which was taken from a post on Gettr published by Loomer, also appeared in an article (archived here) published by Patriot Fetch on January 31, 2022, titled "Impeach Biden! Laura Loomer Records Hundreds Of More Illegals Dropped Off At A Florida Hotel (Video)." A portion of the article read:
Laura Loomer posted a new video on Sunday showing a line of military-aged, illegal alien males, being dropped off in front of an Extended Stay hotel in Maitland, Florida.
Users on social media saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Impeach Biden! Laura Loomer Records Hundreds Of More Illegals Dropped Off At A Florida Hotel (Video)
The United States is under attack from within; internationally via George Soros, the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum in Devos, Switzerland.
According to a report about the video from Orlando, Florida's WKMG-TV, Apopka, Florida, Mayor Bryan Nelson said the workers were under contract to work for Dewar Nurseries, a wholesale nursery in Apopka, and staying at an extended stay hotel in Maitland legally. In an email to Lead Stories on February 1, 2022, Nelson confirmed this statement.
Lead Stories also contacted Dewar Nurseries for more information about the claim. We were told on a February 1, 2022, phone call to refer to a statement released by the company's attorneys to the media. WKMG-TV reported the statement as follows:
The workers employed by Dewar Nurseries who reside at the Extended Stay Hotel in Maitland are here in the United States under the H2A Visa program. This is a long-standing, 100-percent legitimate program that allows our companies to hire the workers we need to deliver the best-quality products to our customers. Any suggestion to the contrary is mistaken.
The H-2A program allows employers to hire agricultural workers from outside the U.S. for seasonal or temporary positions that cannot be filled otherwise. Employers are expected to cover several costs, including transportation and housing for the H-2A workers. This stipulation would explain why the migrant workers were arriving at a hotel.
Lead Stories also reached out to Nelson's office and will update this story with any relevant response.
