Did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lift a ban on illegal immigrants in the state because he needs them to clean up after hurricanes Milton and Helene? No, that's not true: There are no official statements or press releases from DeSantis indicating any changes to SB-1718, which is known as Florida's anti-illegal immigration law. No actual news reports say that DeSantis lifted his ban on illegal immigrants either.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads on October 19, 2024. It said:
I'm sick and tired of hearing about people complaining about undocumented immigrants...
Because just now...
a) Desantis lifted his ban on illegal immigrants in Florida because he needs them to clean up the mess the recent Hurricane made. Really now? 😡 Now Desantis thinks it's ok to have them back in his state?
This is what the post looked like on Threads at the time of writing:
(Source: Threads screenshot taken on October 25, 2024 17:21:07 UTC)
On May 10, 2023, DeSantis signed SB-1718 (archived here), known as the anti-illegal immigration law. There is no evidence that he lifted the ban on illegal immigrants to allow them to work in the state to clean up after the back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton that hit the state in late September 2024.
A search for press releases on the official website of the Government of Florida found no records that DeSantis had lifted the ban, changed the legislation or issued an executive order regarding SB-1718 or illegal immigration and hurricane work during September 2024 (archived here) or October 2024 (archived here).
Lead Stories searched for news and reports on Google (archived here), using the keywords "desantis" and "lifts ban" and "illegal immigrants" and "clean up" and "hurricane helene OR hurricane milton." No actual news reports that DeSantis had lifted the ban in Florida as of the date of this publication were found.
SB-1718's history, available on both the Florida Senate (archived here) and House of Representatives' (archived here) websites, contains no mention of the governor having suspended the law. The Florida Senate Journals for 2024 (archived here), volume 1 and volume II, also have no record of a discussion about such a measure in the Senate, which passed the bill before it went to DeSantis for signature.
Among other measures, SB-1718, which went into effect on July 1, 2023, requires private employers with 25 or more employees to use the E-Verify system for new employees and expands penalties for employers who do not comply with E-Verify requirements. It also prohibits undocumented immigrants who have received a driver's license in another state from operating a motor vehicle in Florida.
On May 22, 2024, a federal judge blocked one of the most controversial sections of this law, which included penalties of up to 30 years in prison for transporting undocumented immigrants, according to NPR station WUSF (archived here). But the other sections remain active at the time of this verification.
Lead Stories contacted DeSantis' office for comment and will update this story if it responds.
Other Lead Stories fact checks of claims about Ron DeSantis can be found here. Our fact checks of claims related to illegal immigrants can be read here.
Lead Stories fact checks of claims concerning Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton are here and here.
