TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are once again at the state Capitol for a special session Tuesday to address illegal immigration in the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis called the latest special session on Monday following weeks of infighting between the governor and state GOP leaders.
This special session was scheduled to begin at noon Tuesday and conclude by Friday at noon.
The governor's proclamation said the latest special session has the "sole and exclusive" purpose to consider legislation related to President Trump's executive orders on illegal immigration.
DeSantis released the following statement regarding the special session:
"Florida always leads. 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. The bills to be considered this week in special session take ideas from the various proposals and brings them together to enact the strongest legislation to enhance interior enforcement and to combat illegal immigration amongst the fifty states. 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. In working together on this bill, Senate President Ben Albritton and Speaker Danny Perez have been great partners, and we have produced an aggressive bill that we can stand fully behind. I thank the members of the Florida House and Senate for delivering on behalf of the people who sent us here. I also thank Agricultural Commissioner Wilton Simpson for his support of this revised product to help combat illegal immigration. 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."
The governor's proclamation mentions 11 items for state lawmakers to consider this week including:
- Maximizing the state's ability to coordinate and assist the federal government in the enforcement of federation immigration law and policy
- Restricting benefits that incentivize illegal immigrants to relocate to Florida
- Create criminal offenses related to noncitizens voting
- Create criminal penalties for illegal immigrants who enter the state illegally entering the country or who enter the state after previously have been deported, denied admission or otherwise departed the country under specified conditions
- Strengthen bail and pretrial detention requirements for unauthorized migrants
- Require valid identification information for interaction with the state
- Provide financial penalties for government officials
- Create or enhance criminal penalties for offenses committed by illegal immigrants
The governor announced last week that the state had entered into the 287(g) agreement with ICE giving the Florida Highway Patrol "expanded power."
Read the governor's full order issued Monday night below:
