It was inevitable . . . though you couldn’t have convinced Donald Trump or Elon Musk of that before the damage was done.

Once they began their chainsaw-style purge of all of our country’s illegal immigrants and those guilty of having committed actual crimes on U.S. territory, they figured they were on a roll and might as well keep going. They were having a grand time.

So they started in on those who hadn’t done anything wrong other than having been born in another country. Never mind that those people had been here for years, held honest jobs, raised families, and obeyed our laws; they needed to go — even some who were already on track to citizenship.

Xenophobia, unchecked, develops a momentum of its own.

Never mind the human toll; that clearly was of no significance to Trump and Musk. But what they never bothered to ask themselves — or anyone else — was who would fill all of those jobs previously held by the now-absent immigrants . . . jobs that most natural-born Americans won’t or can’t accept because they don’t pay a living wage, or they’re too difficult, or too “menial.”

But it seems that one day recently, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis woke up from what he thought was a bad dream, only to find that it was true: his state was facing a labor shortage. Where were all of those people who had formerly made his and his friends’ lives easier: the invisible people who cleaned the rest rooms in the hotels, resorts, and other public buildings; the street sweepers and trash collectors; the household help; the au pairs, the restaurant dishwashers and school janitors; the orange-pickers?

They were gone, herded into dormitories or tents at Guantanamo, or off to El Salvador, like so many head of cattle.

What to do? Omigod, what to do??!!!

Well, you can’t accuse Ron DeSantis of being unimaginative. He knew he couldn’t risk his political future by speaking out against White House policy, so he quickly came up with a brilliant solution: Fill those jobs with children!

But wait . . . what about child labor laws? Currently, Florida state law prohibits teenagers from working between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. And many of those jobs include overnight work.

No problem . . . we’ll just amend the law. (Why am I suddenly reminded here of Vladimir Putin and his fiddling with the Russian Constitution?)

Anyway, on Tuesday the Florida state legislature advanced a bill that will allow children as young as 14 to work overnight shifts, even on school days. It whizzed through two committees before being put to a vote by the full Florida Senate.

At a panel discussion last week with Tom Homan, acting director of I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), DeSantis had this to say:

“Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts, college students should be able to do this stuff.” [Jordan Valinsky, CNN, March 25, 2025.]

And, as though that weren’t enough, he added:

“And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now? I mean, that’s how it used to be when I was growing up.” [Id.]

What’s wrong with it? Well, let’s examine that.

First, he’s confusing college students with 14-year-olds. Second, he’s conflating working at a resort, say, as a lifeguard or dining room waiter, with cleaning toilets in the local bus station. And third, he’s mixing up part-time, after-school or weekend work with eight-hour overnight shifts on school days.

And finally, he’s talking about recruiting children for these jobs — which is hardly the same thing as a family making its own, individual decision as to whether a child should take on that type of burden at such an early age . . . whether they’re physically able, and whether it will adversely affect their school work, their family time, and — remember this from your teenage years, Ron? — their social lives.

*. *. *

Yes, there are many American families in need of extra income just to make ends meet. And some of those families have older teenagers who would welcome the opportunity to help out by taking a part-time job. That’s commendable. But when did it become all right to rob younger teens — 14- and 15-year-olds — of the best school years: years of football games, and dances, and just hanging out with friends.

A lot of us had part-time jobs during high school, mostly to pay for those “extras” that can put a strain on some families. In my case, it was baby-sitting for neighbors and family friends. Some of my classmates mowed lawns, shoveled snow, and washed cars. One worked as an usher at the neighborhood movie theater. But the hours were limited, and all in line with the teenager’s best interests, and within the parameters of local child labor laws.

If we just blithely cast those protective laws aside, what’s next: the sweat shops of 100 years ago?

Ron DeSantis has three small children. I wonder what kind of jobs he’ll line up for them when they’re 14.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/26/25