Florida legislature denies Gov. DeSantis special session to tackle illegal immigration

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) - The Florida Legislature canceled the special session Governor Ron DeSantis called to focus on illegal immigration.

The legislature adjourned the special session without taking up any bill filed Sunday.

This was the first time the Republican-controlled legislature denied a Republican governor a special session since the GOP took control in the 1990s.

Instead, lawmakers are taking up the issue on their terms in their own special session which started right after they adjourned the one called by Governor DeSantis.

“Unfortunately, the Governor’s proclamation was just too narrow to accomplish all of the things that we must do,” House Speaker Daniel Perez, (R) Miami, said.

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Governor Ron DeSantis hoped lawmakers would consider several proposals including presuming undocumented workers are a flight risk and directing local law enforcement to detain and deport illegal immigrants.

Speaker Perez told Representatives Monday morning that those proposals would get in the way of President Donald Trump’s orders issued last week.

“Many of his proposals are bureaucratic. We do not need to duplicate the functions of U.S. Immigration and Customs and create a mini-me version of ICE,” Rep. Perez said.

Now lawmakers are considering the “Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act,” or TRUMP Act.

It does four main things, including recruiting more police officers, subletting vacant facilities for use by ICE and creating new capacity, increasing criminal penalties and limiting incentives drawing illegal immigrants to the state.

But Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, (R) Spring Hill, who had several bills in the governor’s special session, was worried this won’t be enough.

“To me, I want to be as aggressive as possible to make sure we are putting the strongest anti-illegal immigration bill out there,” Sen. Ingoglia said.

House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, (D) Tampa, was caught off guard by the second special session on Monday, but she questions the point.

“To me, it feels like a distinction without a difference because we are still taking up illegal immigration, which could’ve been taken up during special session A,” Driskell said.

She said this move shows a distinct separation of powers that many lawmakers felt hadn’t existed in recent years.

“I would anticipate this is not over and we would see something from this governor. I imagine his office can’t be happy,” Driskel said.

Gov. DeSantis called the new proposal weak on social media, saying the “bill is a bait-and-switch tactic trying to create the illusion of an illegal immigration crackdown, when it does anything but.”

The TRUMP act is moving through committee hearings, which is expected to be sent to the governor later this week.

The legislature also overrode the governor’s veto on some legislative funding in the state budget on Monday.

The legislature will address condo reform, election reform and storm relief during the regular session which starts in five weeks.