Will Velie

Last month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into state law the self-described "strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation in the country." Under the new statute--the bulk of which goes into effect on July 1--business owners with 25 or more employees must use E-Verify to confirm the immigration status of new hires, and be subjected to enforceable penalties for employing undocumented workers, as well as stricter penalties for sending undocumented workers across state lines to work in Florida, among other provisions. When enforced, the new stringent laws are highly likely to impact everyone...

With potentially huge implications for horse racing, lawmakers are seeking an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act that would streamline the visa process and afford undocumented agricultural workers, including those in equine industries, a pathway to earn legal status. "This is the most significant immigration reform since the Bill Clinton amnesty in 2001," said Will Velie, an immigration attorney with many clients in the racing industry, about the Affordable and Secure Food Act, introduced Thursday by Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo. "The fact that more than a million people will...