Cannonball Pool Service in Fort Myers just lost three of its employees due to their work visas being revoked.
"It's sad to see them go. It's going to be tough to try and figure out the problems in between now and the future," said Nick Mittler, manager with Cannonball Pool Service. "The workers got an email where an update had come through. There was a link where they could click and see, saying that their work visas had been revoked and that they would have to cease work. I think it was effective immediately."
All three employees are from Cuba. This comes just days after the Trump administration started sending visa revocation notices to thousands of immigrants from several countries, including Cuba, encouraging them to self-deport.
"They didn't do anything wrong to deserve this. I understand getting rid of people who, you know, may have committed a crime or maybe a heinous crime. Absolutely. That makes sense. But these people are just trying to work, and we need workers here," Mittler said.
That's when the pool company sent an email to its customers.
"The technician assigned to your pool have had their work visas unexpectedly revoked due to recent changes in immigration policy...While we navigate this temporary staffing disruption, we want to reassure you that your pool will continue to be properly serviced," the email said.
Bethany Chidley is a loyal customer. She told Gulf Coast News she's sad about what happened.
"We will continue to support them. I know when I called the owner on Friday, I was like, you know, I will donate. I don't have a lot of money, but I'm like, if they have legal fees, I'm willing to donate what I have so that they can get a lawyer to help fight this," Chidley said.
After losing three pool technicians, the company says it lost a third of its employees, making operations more difficult to manage.
"We're still getting our work done. Like I said, we have our bookkeeper, and she's in the field right now. She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. She should be in the office. We also eventually, you know, if it comes to it, we're going to have to hire new employees," Mittler said.
The next steps are unknown for the three employees until they are able to resolve their visa status.
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