A recent story out of Maitland whipped around the internet at a velocity only chain emails and Facebook scams usually reach. The idea that undocumented immigrants were gathering at a hotel in Central Florida moved at the speed of monarchy around social media's metaphorical retirement homes and bridge clubs, riling up old conservatives enough that they actually showed up to the hotel in question.
All of the details of the story, helpfully spread by right-wing chuds like Rep. Anthony Sabatini and Laura Loomer, were proven to be false. The mayor of nearby Apopka weighed in, noting to WKMG that the workers all have visas to work in the United States.
BREAKING: Hundreds of illegals were just SHIPPED into my congressional district yesterday—dropped off in Maitland
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) January 30, 2022
We MUST stop & DEPORT them immediately—state law enforcement must be activated by @GovRonDeSantis ASAP
Florida should NOT ask the federal government for permission! https://t.co/VBaR2kSsv4
The seasonal workers are in town to work at Apopka's Dewar Nurseries. An attorney for the company issued a statement calling claims of illegality "mistaken."
"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," they wrote. "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.”
Sabatini's racist rant was so wrong, in fact, that he incorrectly identified the hotel in Maitland as being in his district. Though Sabatini is running to represent the district that includes the hotel, his current district centers on Howey-in-the-Hills.
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