Walmart has begun terminating employees at select Florida stores following a Supreme Court ruling that permits the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of migrants, according to people familiar with the matter. The move comes as companies across the state respond to shifting legal requirements tied to federal work authorization.
The layoffs are linked to compliance with I-9 forms, which employers use to verify the identity and employment eligibility of workers. Bloomberg News reported that employees at at least two locations were informed that continued employment would require updated legal documentation. When reached, Walmart declined to comment on the number of workers affected or confirm whether other stores across its nearly 4,600 U.S. locations would follow suit.
Walmart employs approximately 1.6 million people nationwide, the majority in hourly retail roles. The latest layoffs appear to mirror similar steps taken by the Walt Disney Company, which recently placed 45 employees in Florida on leave after the court ruling. "We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies," Disney said in a statement.
Disney added that the impacted workers, who are Venezuelan nationals formerly protected under the Temporary Protected Status program, would continue to receive benefits while on leave. "The decision was made to ensure no employees were unknowingly violating U.S. law due to their changing legal status," the company stated.
The Supreme Court decision impacts an estimated half a million migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba. Many of these individuals had lived and worked in the U.S. legally under Biden-era protections now voided by the ruling. Florida, home to one of the largest immigrant populations in the country, is expected to experience significant labor disruption as enforcement ramps up.
State Representative Anna Eskamani, a Democrat running for mayor of Orlando, criticized the private sector's response. "Disney sets the standard - other companies in our economy look toward them," she said. "We don't have enough workers as it is, so this is a bad situation that's getting worse."
Immigration enforcement agencies under President Trump have launched a campaign encouraging voluntary departures for those losing legal status, offering stipends of up to $1,000 and travel assistance. Officials have also said that individuals without valid authorization may face arrest and deportation.
The ruling has triggered widespread concern in Central Florida, where many Venezuelan residents supported Trump in the last presidential election. While Walmart has yet to clarify how many employees will be terminated nationwide, industry analysts warn the ripple effects could be far-reaching, especially in hospitality, construction, and retail-sectors heavily reliant on immigrant labor.
