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GOP Governor Calls For Special Session To “Actively Facilitate” Trump Administration’s Immigration Policies
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special session of the Florida Legislature to ensure the state enforces President Trump’s immigration policies.
“President-elect Trump was elected with a mandate to stop illegal immigration and deport illegal aliens already in our country. State and local officials in Florida will actively facilitate the Trump Administration’s policies against illegal immigration, and to do that we need to immediately set aside and approve the necessary funding and resources now,” DeSantis said.
“As part of the special session I called for January 27, the week after President Trump is sworn in, I am calling on the legislature to appropriate funding for detention, relocation, transportation infrastructure, local law enforcement support, and everything else needed for Florida to carry out this mission,” he added.
President-elect Trump was elected with a mandate to stop illegal immigration and deport illegal aliens already in our country.
State and local officials in Florida will actively facilitate the Trump Administration’s policies against illegal immigration, and to do that we need to… pic.twitter.com/PHvNYvjAH6
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 13, 2025
A closer look:
From the New York Post:
The governor, who met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., last week, said the president-elect plans to “provide a level of empowerment for state and local governments” to combat illegal immigration.
“We have a responsibility to be in this fight,” DeSantis argued.
“State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” he continued. “In order to do that effectively we are going to need legislation to impose additional duties on local officials and provide funding for those local officials.”
“There also needs to be measures to hold people accountable for violating our anti-sanctuary policies and that Florida needs to make sure that we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally,” the Sunshine State leader added.
DeSantis warned that he would move to suspend officials from office if they were found to be “neglecting their duties.”
The governor indicated that he expects the Legislature to allocate tens of millions of dollars in new spending to expand state immigration enforcement and detention efforts. He also said he would consider activating the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard to assist Trump enforce federal immigration laws.
WATCH:
#BREAKING: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis calls a SPECIAL SESSION to REQUIRE local governments in the entire state to enforce Trump's deportations.
WOW!
"We have a responsibility to be in this fight. State and local officials in Florida MUST HELP the Trump administration… pic.twitter.com/vNd7XAVPac
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 13, 2025
The approach by DeSantis is a stark contrast to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers, who reportedly agreed to utilize $50 million to combat the Trump administration.
Half of the money would go to resisting any mass deportation plan implemented by Trump.
Gavin Newsom And State Lawmakers Reportedly To Spend MILLIONS Battling Trump Administration As Fires Devastate California
However, DeSantis is facing some pushback from Florida Republicans for calling the special session.
"Florida House and Senate leaders Perez and Albritton declare DeSantis’ special session talks for issues like immigration and hurricane relief are 'premature,'" Florida's Voice noted.
BREAKING: Florida House and Senate leaders Perez and Albritton declare DeSantis’ special session talks for issues like immigration and hurricane relief are “premature”
“As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what… pic.twitter.com/06TfOxRjL0
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) January 13, 2025
The Hill reports:
Florida Republican leaders in the state Legislature pushed back on Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) call for a special session to implement President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda, calling the move “premature.”
In a letter addressed to their fellow legislators, state Senate President Ben Albritton (R) and state House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) said they were not aware of any specific guidance to the states about any action state legislatures can take to support the federal agenda.
“Florida’s constitution compels our attendance at a special session unilaterally called by the Governor,” the leaders wrote. “However, the power to convene a special session also resides with the presiding officers. As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider.”
Albritton and Perez said they supported Trump’s agenda, adding that it would be “irresponsible” to get out ahead of any announcements Trump could make.
“When we receive specific guidance that may necessitate our state’s legislative action to complement President Trump’s efforts, we stand ready to act at the appropriate time,” the two wrote.
The letter comes hours after DeSantis called for a special session to implement Trump’s immigration agenda during a press conference on Monday.