Florida lawmakers to vote on 'TRUMP Act' immigration legislation after rebuking governor's special session
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - One day after ending a special session called by Governor Ron DeSantis and convening their own session instead, Florida lawmakers plan to vote Tuesday on their own legislation aimed at addressing illegal immigration.
Governor's special session
The backstory:
Earlier this month, the governor announced he was calling the Florida Legislature to Tallahassee ahead of its regular session, which begins March 4.
Gov. DeSantis said he wanted lawmakers to address several immigration-related proposals, along with hurricane relief, condo fee reform and the citizen ballot initiative process.
Pushback against special session
Big picture view:
Legislative leaders in the governor's own party criticized the governor's call for a special session, with several prominent lawmakers accusing DeSantis of treating the legislature like puppets in a political theater.
"They should not be stunts designed to generate headlines," Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez said. "And the truth is, I dislike special sessions because they inhibit the very thing the legislative process should encourage, the push and pull of meaningful conversations that lead to the development of good and better ideas."

The Florida House quickly adjourned and called their own special session on Monday.
There was also pushback because the session was called before President Donald Trump took office for his second presidential term, and the legislature wanted to get a look at his executive orders on immigration before taking action at the state level.
"We did carefully consider Governor DeSantis' proposal, and he had some good ideas," Perez said. "But many of his proposals are bureaucratic. We do not need to duplicate the function of U.S. Immigration and Customs and create a Mini-Me version of ICE."
"President Trump clearly has the situation under control and is leading from the Oval Office," Florida Senate President Ben Albritton said. "I want to be careful that we don't do anything to undermine President Trump's very good plan. I won't stand for that."
TRUMP Act
After convening their own special session, state lawmakers introduced what they call the TRUMP Act – which stands for ‘Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Immigration Policy.’
The TRUMP Act would, among other things, eliminate in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants at public colleges and universities, while also naming Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson as the state’s chief immigration officer.
Additionally, the measure would provide $500 million to help law enforcement agencies fight illegal immigration.
The other side:
Gov. DeSantis blasted the proposal, calling it "substantially weaker" than his proposals while claiming it only gives the illusion of cracking down on immigration.
Backers of the governor's proposals are concerned the TRUMP Act won't go far enough in ensuring undocumented immigrants face penalties for trying to register to vote, that wire transfers to home countries are blocked, and that local law enforcement will have the teeth they need.
The governor also objected to naming Simpson as the chief immigration officer.
"Agriculture has not exactly been known for immigration enforcement," DeSantis said. "It's almost like the fox guarding the hen house."
What's next:
Floor votes on the TRUMP Act are expected Tuesday.
The Source: This story was written using information from the Florida Legislature, the Governor's Office, the News Service of Florida and previous FOX 13 News reports.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
- Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
- Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
- Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
- Download the SkyTower Radar app
- Sign up for FOX 13’s daily newsletter