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Governor DeSantis deputizes state troopers for immigration enforcement in partnership with federal government

By
Updated  February 7, 2025 11:47am EST
Ron DeSantis
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is partnering with the federal government to strengthen immigration enforcement in the state.
    • The move deputizes troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol to perform immigration enforcement duties.
    • The governor has been vocal in recent weeks about taking additional action at the state level against illegal immigration.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Friday that Florida is entering into a partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to strengthen immigration enforcement in the state.

The governor's announcement came after he recently signed a memorandum between the Florida Highway Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), giving troopers the authority to perform immigration enforcement duties.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced a partnership with the federal government to step up immigration enforcement in the state.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced a partnership with the federal government to step up immigration enforcement in the state.

What will state troopers be able to do?

Big picture view:

The state's partnership with the federal government is part of ICE's 287(g) program, which authorizes ICE to "delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight."

At a news conference on Friday in Tallahassee, DeSantis said the Florida Highway Patrol will be empowered to do the following:

  • Interrogate any suspected illegal immigrant about their right to be in the United States
  • Detain and process anyone found to be in violation of proper immigration status
  • Arrest anyone trying to unlawfully enter the U.S., including through ports of entry and waters off Florida's coast
  • Detain illegal immigrants without delays for examination by ICE
  • Serve and execute warrants for immigration violations

What they're saying:

"State law enforcement agencies will have the power and authority to issue immigration containers and begin establishing records of deportable or inadmissible aliens," DeSantis said, adding it "will allow for speeding up the deportation process."

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Battle over immigration legislation

The backstory:

In the weeks leading to the governor's latest announcement, he has clashed with the Florida Legislature over immigration legislation.

Last month, DeSantis called a special session, saying he wanted lawmakers to address illegal immigration with President Donald Trump returning to the White House.

When the Legislature met on Monday, Jan. 27, however, both the Florida House and Senate rebuked DeSantis and quickly ended the special session, instead deciding to convene their own session.

READ: Second judge pauses Trump’s birthright citizenship order

At the time, Florida Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez, both Republicans, said the special session was "premature."

State lawmakers then passed the TRUMP Act, which stands for ‘Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Immigration Policy.’ Among other things, it would have eliminated 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.

DeSantis immediately criticized the bill in a series of roundtables in different areas of the state, along with a news conference last Friday in Destin, saying the TRUMP Act is much weaker that what he was proposing.

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When pressed on Friday about where the governor and the Legislature stand on immigration, the governor seemed confident the two sides will reconcile their differences.

"We want to bring this to a conclusion. I think we're getting close to that," DeSantis said.

The other side:

William Smith, president of the Florida Highway Patrol chapter of Florida’s Police Benevolent Association, told FOX News Digital that he supports the need for immigration reform, but he believes the agency is already underfunded and does not have enough money to operate.

"What's going on with the Legislature and the governor right now… we're almost caught in the middle," Smith said. "There's no additional funding to pay for those additional duties.… You know, it's easy to sign a piece of paper and say, 'we're going to have troopers do that now.' OK, well, are you going to pay me more money?"

In the upcoming 2025-2026 budget, Smith said, the department is asking the Legislature for $12.9 million to raise pay and hire more troopers, whose starting pay is about $54,000. He explained that for the agency to be fully funded, it will need about $27 million.

What's next:

The Florida Legislature will meet for its annual session beginning March 4.

The Source: This story was written using information from a news conference held by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Tallahassee, along with ICE's website and previous FOX 13 News reports. This story was reported from Tampa.

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