WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA) — During a stop at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a list of statewide immigration measures ahead of a special session.
This is mostly an effort, the governor said, to help the Trump administration carry out its enforcement plan to curb illegal immigration.
“We are going to require that law enforcement at both the municipal, county, and state level, that they have maximum participation in any programs to assist the federal government with the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” DeSantis said.
That’s just one proposal for lawmakers to consider later this month. He also wants criminal penalties under Florida law for entering the country illegally; he hopes to appoint a state immigration officer to coordinate with federal authorities; and to give local and state law enforcement the power to detail and deport undocumented immigrants. The latter would need an extra step, if it’s Florida law.
“The federal government would have to bless this, and I think they will," DeSantis said. "They should be empowered to detain and deport people who are here illegally."
The governor also wants lawmakers to expand on the definition of gangs to include illegal immigration, reform election rules to prevent undocumented immigrants from voting, and repeal the law offering in-state tuition for children of parents who are undocumented.
“What we’ve done is tailor these policies to be able to build off that so we get the maximum impact here in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
Gov. DeSantis also wants stricter ID verification for foreign remittances and for judges, along with prosecutors to consider bail and flight risk when someone who is undocumented is arrested.
In a joint letter Tuesday, Florida GOP Senate President Ben Albritton and Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez called a special session "premature" and wrote: “At this time, we are not aware of any specific guidance provided to the states about what actions state legislatures can take."
The governor responded to the letter while in Polk County.
“I was really surprised at the letter because you're basically saying after four years of Biden's really destructive immigration and Border policies that it's somehow 'premature' for us to act with a new president coming in, are you kidding me?” DeSantis said.
Florida Democrats say a special session is not needed when regular session is weeks away.
The legislative special session is scheduled to start Jan. 27.