MIAMI (NewsNation) — A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling may lead to widespread job loss across the country, as businesses are forced to respond to the Trump administration’s move to end temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants.

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is reportedly taking action. According to Bloomberg News, the company has notified stores nationwide to identify employees whose temporary legal work status may soon expire.

Some Walmart workers in Florida and Texas have already been let go. In at least two Florida stores, employees were told they’d be fired if they didn’t renew their work authorizations, Bloomberg reports.

“There are penalties, there can be civil and even criminal penalties for hiring someone without a work authorization. And because they understand that this administration is serious and implementing these laws, nobody wants to mess around,” said immigration lawyer Rolando Vazquez.

Walmart has not responded to NewsNation’s request for comment, and it’s unclear how many employees may ultimately be affected.

Disney fires immigrant workers: Report

The decision has also reportedly impacted Disney, Florida’s largest employer.

According to the Associated Press, the company has recently put nearly four dozen Venezuelan workers on leave who were under Temporary Protected Status.

Disney has not yet responded to NewsNation’s request for comment.

Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, called the moves heartbreaking for workers and families who have lived in the U.S. for decades.

“Terminating someone’s employment because of changes in immigration paperwork — especially when those changes stem from confusing or abrupt policy shifts — should not be happening,” Eskamani said in a statement to NewsNation. “We should be expanding protections for TPS holders, not punishing them for political gain.”

The ruling’s ripple effects have already been felt in areas like Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuela-American population in the U.S., where advocates warn the ruling could lead to mass firings if employers are forced to comply with stricter work authorization rules.

Legal protections end for 500K migrants

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled to allow Trump to end humanitarian parole for 500,000 people from four countries. The ruling exposes migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to arrest and pushes the total newly exposed to deportation to nearly 1 million.

The Department of Homeland Security has said 500 so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” around the country could lose federal funding for obstructing immigration enforcement.

President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to deport millions of people and, now in office, has sought to dismantle Biden-era policies that created pathways for migrants to live legally in the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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