JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis, Sheriff T.K. Waters, and State Representative Kiyan Michael (D-Jacksonville Beach) joined state and federal law enforcement for a roundtable discussion on immigration policy in Jacksonville on Thursday.
DeSantis has a ten-point plan for cracking down on illegal immigration in Florida.
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His proposals range from increased penalties for non-citizens who attempt to vote in elections, to creating a state penalty for entering Florida without legal status.
The most significant changes would involve new requirements mandating local law enforcement to cooperate with the feds on immigration.
During Thursday’s roundtable, the Governor argued his proposals aim to complement President Donald Trump’s executive actions on illegal immigration.
“It’s not just saying you won’t sabotage the federal government enforcing immigration law. We want our localities, municipalities, counties, and of course, state, which I can just order. We want all of them to help facilitate this important mission,” said DeSantis.
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DeSantis has called state lawmakers back for a special session, but so far, the Senate President and House Speaker have indicated they have no interest in following through with the Governor’s policy requests and called the proposal “premature.”
“It is completely irresponsible to get out ahead of any announcements President Trump will make, especially when uninformed or ill-timed state action could potentially impair or impede the success of President Trump’s forthcoming efforts to end illegal immigration, close our borders, and protect the sovereignty of our nation,” the two leaders wrote in a joint statement released on Jan. 13.
State Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) argued the drastic policy changes the Governor put forth will require more vetting than a one-week special session could offer.
“I would not be surprised if we met and adjourned and did not pass any of these potential bills,” said Eskamani.
Additionally, Eskamani argued the Governor’s demand for more local law enforcement participation in immigration could run afoul of the federal government’s jurisdiction.
“Of course, other parts of what he’s proposing are just damaging to the health and wellbeing of our state, the strength of our economy, and it’s more red meat,” said Eskamani.
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On Thursday, the Governor said he hadn’t gotten any update from legislative leaders on what they plan to do when they gavel in on Monday.
But he implied if they simply gavel in and gavel out without doing any work, they could find themselves back in Tallahassee sooner than they might expect.
“I’m not letting go. I’m not just gonna wait six months for something to eventually stick,” said DeSantis.
Legislative leaders have indicated they plan to take up immigration-related issues during the regular session, which begins on March 4th.
But that promise came with a caveat.
“As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider,” the leaders said at the close of their joint statement.
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