Florida legislators will meet this week in a special session to approve a package of bills aimed at combating illegal immigration, with the support of Governor Ron DeSantis. This call comes after a clash between Republican legislative leaders and Ron DeSantis during a special session late last month.
Republican leaders push for new special session
Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Pérez, both Republicans, issued a proclamation for the special session, which will begin this Tuesday. The bill summaries include measures to strengthen President Donald Trump‘s offensive against illegal immigration.
Albritton and Pérez highlighted in a joint memorandum that the past few weeks have been marked by productive debates on how Florida can support Trump‘s efforts to eradicate illegal immigration. They emphasized the importance of collaboration between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to arrest, detain, and deport undocumented immigrants who commit crimes.
Ron DeSantis endorsed the initiative and described Albritton and Pérez as “great partners.” He also thanked Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whose involvement in immigration enforcement became controversial during the previous special session.
DeSantis celebrates progress in immigration policies
“With the enactment of these policies, Florida will help the Trump administration fulfill the historic mandate to end illegal immigration,” stated Ron DeSantis in a declaration.
The tone of this call contrasts with that of two weeks ago, when legislators met in a special session convened by Ron DeSantis to address immigration policy and other issues. On that occasion, Albritton and Pérez expressed dissatisfaction with what they considered a premature convening.
The House and Senate, controlled by Republicans, quickly adjourned the session called by Ron DeSantis and convened their own meeting. Legislators dismissed DeSantis‘ proposals and passed an immigration bill that the governor threatened to veto.
However, since the fight against illegal immigration is a priority for Republicans and one of Trump‘s main causes, rumors of another special session have circulated in recent days.
The House is scheduled to meet at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, while the Senate will convene at 1:15 p.m., according to information posted on their websites. Budget committees in both chambers will address the bills on Wednesday, and full sessions are expected to take place on Thursday.
The bills were introduced by Senator Joe Gruters and Representative Lawrence McClure, both Republicans, who also sponsored the legislation passed during the January special session.
The proposals include increasing criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes, strengthening cooperation between local agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), creating a State Immigration Enforcement Board composed of the governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, and chief financial officer, and imposing mandatory death penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit murders or rape children.
Albritton and Pérez emphasized that, by combining input from Ron DeSantis and Commissioner Simpson with the legislation passed in January, they are advancing strong policies to support Trump‘s efforts against illegal immigration.
