Florida legislature agrees to most of DeSantis’ proposals for anti-illegal-immigration bill
Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ weeks-long fight with the GOP leadership in the state House over different anti-illegal-immigration bills is now over, as the legislature is going with most of DeSantis’ plans.
DeSantis and GOP leadership were in a war of words after House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) gaveled out of the special session DeSantis called and then immediately gaveled in anothere special session for the legislature to put forward its own bill to tackle illegal immigration. But the legislature’s bill was not as strong as DeSantis’ proposals, leading the governor to go across the state to urge voters to call their representatives to voice opposition.
On Monday, DeSantis announced he and the state legislature have finally agreed on a bill that addresses illegal immigration. While DeSantis thanked the House and Senate, the final bill is mostly what he initially proposed a few weeks ago.
“The proposed legislation requires the full participation of state and local law enforcement with the federal government in its enforcement of immigration law, prevents the ‘catch and release’ of illegal aliens, and ensures that illegal aliens who enter Florida are held accountable. It also provides significant resources to bolster these efforts. I want to thank the Florida legislature for convening in special session on this important topic,” DeSantis said.
“With the enactment of these policies, Florida will help the Trump administration to deliver on the President’s historic mandate to end illegal immigration. This is a big win for the people of Florida and demonstrates that we will continue to lead,” DeSantis said.
It will now be a state crime for an illegal immigrant to enter Florida, and the state will have the funds and the power to transport illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin in partnership with the federal government. While DeSantis’ plans also included addressing remittances, the final bill does not include a provision for that.
The agricultural commissioner will not be the state’s chief immigration officer, an idea in the legislature’s bill that was heavily criticized for a conflict of interest.
“That’s like the fox guarding the henhouse!” DeSantis said at the time.
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner also revealed that the legislature’s bill would restrict state and local law enforcement’s ability to work with the federal government when dealing with illegal immigrants.
“The legislature’s bill does not consider critical operational needs that support law enforcement. Unfortunately, the legislature did not coordinate or communicate with our law enforcement agency while drafting their bill,” the FLHSMV said in a statement.
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