Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is outlining the measures he's seeking in a special legislative session to help President-elect Donald Trump crack down on illegal immigration.
DeSantis held a news conference Wednesday with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and some Florida sheriffs to give details on what he wants done during the special session, which he's scheduled for week of Jan. 27, the week after Trump is sworn in.
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"We are not approaching the new administration in a lackadaisical fashion, we in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission," DeSantis said. "We need to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all in these United States of America."
IMMIGRATION AND FLORIDA
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DeSantis said one proposal would require law enforcement at the municipal, county and state level to have "maximum participation" in any programs to assist the federal government with enforcing immigration laws.
He'd also like to have Florida appoint a state immigration enforcement officer dedicated to overseeing coordination with federal authorities, and empower state and local officials to detain and deport people here illegally.
Another proposal would enact criminal penalties at the state level for illegal entry, DeSantis said.
Other measures would focus on increasing penalties for voter fraud by undocumented immigrants and imposing ID verification that people sending money transfers out of the state to other countries are in the U.S. legally.
DeSantis said earlier this week that he will request "tens of millions" of dollars to help local law enforcement agencies. He also said he might use the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard and would hold local officials accountable if they are viewed as "neglecting their duties."
Trump will be sworn in Jan. 20, and he is expected to quickly issue executive orders about immigration. DeSantis has long criticized the Biden administration’s handling of border issues and drew national attention in 2022 when Florida flew a group of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
DeSantis also wants lawmakers to use the special session to address issues that have driven up costs for condominium owners, change a ballot-initiative process, help the agricultural industry and residents recovering from hurricanes and replenish funding for a popular home-hardening program.
Some state lawmakers have said calling a special session for January "premature."
Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, and House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, indicated they want to wait until the regular session, which will start March 4, to address the issues.
"As you know, this Legislature will address illegal immigration, condominiums, petition initiatives and hurricane recovery this (regular) session, which starts in 50 days," Albritton and Perez said in a joint memo to lawmakers. "Calling a special session at this time is premature."
In their joint memo, Albritton and Perez described themselves as "strong supporters" of Trump on immigration and "stand ready to follow his lead."
But they said, “At this time, we are not aware of any specific guidance provided to the states about actions state legislatures can take to support forthcoming federal action.”
DeSantis said he's spoken with Trump about some of the actions the federal government will be taking when he's sworn in.
The governor also said Wednesday he was shocked that the letter called the special session "premature."
"This is the time to act, we don't have time to wait, and it's never premature to do the right thing," DeSantis said.