Legislators and Governor DeSantis reach deal over stalled immigration bill

Florida lawmakers reach deal on immigration

FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports on Republicans in Florida's Legislature agreeing to an immigration bill after overcoming public disagreements with Governor Ron DeSantis on enforcement measures of new immigration laws.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Legislature convened for another special session on Tuesday after Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis reached a deal on immigration enforcement, likely ending a weeks-long public battle.

Senate President, Sen. Ben Albritton (R-Bartow), took the dais on Tuesday to say they have a deal with the governor, and to stand by Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, who he says was the target of death threats from the public.

"These threats are un-American," Albritton said. "They are just flat wrong."

Senate President, Sen. Ben Albritton (R-Bartow), took the dais on Tuesday.

The bill they originally passed made Simpson the state's "Chief Immigration Officer."

After the governor blasted the whittling of his own executive authority, the new bill creates a board of immigration enforcement, made up of the agriculture commissioner, the governor, the attorney general and the state CFO.

"Siblings squabble sometimes," said Albritton. "And what we've done is, is we've worked our way through that."

The bill includes new funding for law enforcement, requires any illegal immigrant accused of a felony to be held without bond, and it makes it a state crime to cross into Florida after illegally crossing a national border.

It also fosters numerous avenues for local law enforcement to work with ICE, and to be trained by them.

Florida special session on immigration to begin

The Florida Legislature will once again convene for a special session aimed at addressing immigration. FOX 13’s Kellie Cowan breaks down the deal reached by Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders.

"If you're a criminal illegal alien, then yes, you should be afraid," said State Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota). "But if you're an uninvited guest and not breaking the law, no, you should not be worried."

Democrats say the bill unfairly demonizes and targets immigrants, and is a distraction from the Republicans' inaction on lowering the cost of living.

They are in such low numbers in both chambers that they have little chance of stopping the bill, but they did insist that Republicans lower the temperature of their internal squabbling.

"I ask all of us to join together to not allow people just because they have a lot of followers and are amplifying your profile and your brand and your message," said State Sen. minority leader Jason Pizzo (D-Hollywood). "Push back."

State Sen. minority leader Jason Pizzo (D-Hollywood).

One thing the governor and legislature did not agree on is whether immigrants should be blocked from sending money back to their original countries.

They say more negotiation is needed on that.

But they do say overall this is a bill that other states hoping to follow President Trump's lead can pass for themselves.

What's next:

Legislators are hoping to pass the entire package of bills by this Friday.

What's included in the agreement?

Big picture view:

According to a summary of proposed bills released Monday by the Florida Legislature, the following measures are included:

Establishing a State Immigration Enforcement Council consisting of:Four sheriffs; two appointed by the House speaker and two appointed by the Senate presidentFour police chiefs, with the governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner each appointing one
Four sheriffs; two appointed by the House speaker and two appointed by the Senate president
Four police chiefs, with the governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner each appointing one
Stronger penalties for illegal immigrants convicted of crimes
Mandatory death penalty for undocumented immigrants who commit murder or child rape
Creating state-level crimes for illegally entering or re-entering Florida
Providing $250 million in grants to law enforcement
Felony charges for illegal immigrants who vote and anyone who helps them vote
Requiring county jails to report inmates' immigration status to ICE
Creating incentives for Floridians to join law enforcement
Ending in-state tuition for students who are not U.S. citizens or legal residents
Solidifying the state's partnership with the federal government

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Battle over immigration

The backstory:

The issue of immigration took center stage in Tallahassee days before President Donald Trump took office last month, when DeSantis called a special session, saying the state couldn't wait until the regular session in March to tackle what he called a "crisis."

At the time, Albritton and Perez criticized the idea of a special session, calling it "premature." Then, as lawmakers gathered on Jan. 27, they quickly ended the special session and convened their own session instead.

In the days that followed, the Legislature passed what it called the TRUMP Act, standing for ‘Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Immigration Policy.’

The governor, however, said the bill was "substantially weaker" than his proposals, and also came out against naming Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson as the state’s chief immigration officer.

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By last Friday, though, there appeared to be progress. At a news conference during which DeSantis announced the deputization of state troopers to strengthen immigration enforcement, the governor said "I think we're getting close" when asked about legislation.

The other side:

The Florida Democratic Party has come out against Republicans' proposals at the state level, with one post last Friday on the party's official X account calling immigration a "federal issue."

The post went on to say that the state "should be spending our taxpayer dollars on issues they are responsible for instead of subsidizing Trump’s extreme agenda."

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The Source: This story was written using information from the Florida Legislature, Gov. Ron DeSantis and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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