Florida Gov. DeSantis, GOP leaders reach immigration deal, call another special session
After a rancorous few weeks in which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP legislative leaders traded barbs over immigration enforcement , the sides now have reached an agreement.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, late Monday said they will convene a special session starting Tuesday, as they try again to pass sweeping new measures to boost state and local cooperation of federal immigration enforcement.
"We have a responsibility to enact policies that will help end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all, and our Republican leaders have been working tirelessly to do just that," DeSantis said in a statement.
DeSantis had earlier accused Albritton and Perez of attempting to undermine his push to crackdown on illegal immigration in Florida. That was after they rejected his initial call for a special session last month, instead passing their own legislation that moved most immigration enforcement authority under GOP Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
Overhanging the entire discussion is President Donald Trump, who issued several executive orders after taking office last month aimed at expediting deportations and preventing new illegal border crossings. As of late Monday, Trump had not commented publicly on the Florida compromise.
The agreement will set up a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, consisting of DeSantis and all three Cabinet officials – the attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner. That board will coordinate with the federal government to enforce immigration laws in the state.
Legislation also would increase penalties for illegal immigrants who commit a crime; require mandatory sentences for illegal immigrant gang members who commit a crime; require pretrial detention for illegal immigrants who commit forcible felonies; and provide local law enforcement with more than $200 million in grants for programs that enforce immigration laws, with bonuses for officers who participate in operations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
The bill also would remove the in-state tuition rates available to undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children.
One measure not in the latest legislation is a restriction on illegal immigrants wiring money to their families in their home countries. DeSantis had wanted a crackdown on such practices but the provision wasn't included in the bill passed by lawmakers; it's left out of the compromise package.
DeSantis had sought to take advantage of the Trump's new orders, but was rebuffed by the Legislature, as Albritton and Perez said they received "technical assistance" from the White House in crafting their preferred plan.
Still, DeSantis called their version "weak," and putting immigration enforcement under Simpson was akin to the "fox guarding the henhouse," he said, because Simpson's background in agriculture meant he would be lax on enforcing immigration laws for fear of reducing workers in that industry.
But Trump, after initially backing DeSantis' move for a special session, never weighed in publicly on the Legislature's plan. By Monday evening, the Republican leaders all seemed to be back on the same page.
"Combining important feedback received from Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Simpson with the very strong legislation passed during Special Session B, we are building on the technical assistance from the White House to advance and implement strong policies and provide critical resources to support President Trump's efforts to combat illegal immigration efficiently and effectively," Albritton and Perez wrote in a joint memo to members.
The special session is scheduled to last until Friday.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com . Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gov. DeSantis, GOP legislative leaders reach immigration compromise
