There’s one topic that was off the table, though: Going after the companies hiring them.

In bills passed by the Legislature and signed by DeSantis on Thursday, state lawmakers aren’t requiring more companies to screen workers through E-Verify, the federal database that confirms an employee’s citizenship status. They aren’t assigning more resources to enforce it and aren’t increasing penalties for companies who violate it.

Florida lawmakers long resisted imposing E-Verify requirements on businesses, who overwhelmingly fund their political campaigns. That changed in 2020, when DeSantis pushed lawmakers to require all public employers, contractors and subcontractors to screen new employees through E-Verify. In 2023, lawmakers expanded the requirement to private employers with 25 or more employees. But it captures less than 20% of Florida companies and can be circumvented by employers and employees.