- Florida plan to use remittances in illegal immigration crackdown
The governor of Florida aims to utilise remittances in the effort to combat illegal immigration in the United States. Ron DeSantis intends to mandate that those transferring funds abroad provide evidence of their legal immigration status.
Individuals will migrate unlawfully due to the opportunity to engage in low-skilled labour that yields significantly higher wages in the United States compared to those in a developing nation. They will arrive, generate income, and subsequently remit funds to their family, friends, or other recipients in their native country, he observed.
The Florida governor announced, “We will implement ID verification for foreign remittances, akin to an e-verify process; the money transfer company must conduct this verification to ensure that you are legally permitted to reside in the country and to remit funds abroad.”
A number of unauthorised immigrants, including nationals from St. Vincent, remit funds to relatives overseas, hence the country would be impacted if this clause were enacted into law.
In 2023, remittances to St. Vincent amounted to 71.4 million U.S. dollars.
