TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is making one thing clear to the new Trump administration: We’re here to help.
On Monday, DeSantis called his state Legislature into a special session to, in part, pass a sweeping immigration bill that will aim to align with executive orders Donald Trump is expected to sign shortly after taking office. function on January 20.
DeSantis said he personally spoke to the president-elect about policy ideas, and that he and his team were briefed on some of Trump’s early proposals focused on immigration.
DeSantis called a special session for the week of January 27, a week after Trump was sworn in. This gives state lawmakers time to draft policy changes that complement the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“We will tailor what we do to reflect what their policies will be,” DeSantis told reporters.
Trump’s transition team has prepared a series of executive orders for the first day of his administration. Although they are expected to focus on a wide range of issues, the emphasis will almost certainly be on immigration, one of the main themes of his campaign.
It will be unlike “anything you’ve seen in history,” a Trump campaign official said. said NBC News in November.
Trump has yet to outline the specific changes he would seek by executive order, many of which are likely to face legal challenges, but he has publicly focused on the idea of mass deportations and ending the citizenship by birth.
DeSantis generally hasn’t delved into the type of details his team has received from the new administration. He said he anticipated that Trump extend the 287(g) programwhich allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delegate to local officials the authority to perform certain functions typically reserved for federal immigration officials.
“I think what they’re going to do with the Trump administration, I think it’s going to be more robust enforcement of 287(g) than we’ve probably seen,” DeSantis said. “It will be good. Something that I think will make a significant difference.
Under the current program, state and local governments can “opt in” to the program, but DeSantis hopes the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature will use its special session to make the program mandatory. Any final decision on language would come after Trump issues his executive orders.
“We’re going to say that sheriffs and municipalities will be part of 287(g),” he said.
The Florida Legislature, which would be responsible for writing any specific legislation, has not yet filed proposals, but DeSantis said he wants lawmakers to focus on strengthening the ability to punish local officials who fail to comply not federal immigration law, and that they expand the capacity of local authorities. law enforcement must enforce immigration policy and remove the “persistent incentives” that exist for undocumented immigrants to come and stay in Florida.
DeSantis specifically denounced a 2014 law that offered in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, a proposal signed by Rick Scott, a Republican who was the state’s governor at the time and is now a U.S. senator , and supported by DeSantis. own lieutenant governor, Jeanette M. Nuñez.
“In-state tuition, that’s a benefit that you’re rewarding someone for being here illegally,” he said.
Florida Republicans have pushed back against recent legislative attempts to eliminate the program.
State Rep. Randy Fine, the Trump-backed candidate to replace Rep. Mike Waltz — whom Trump chose to serve as his national security adviser — said he would refile a bill for the special session focused on ending in-state tuition. for undocumented students, costing the state $45 million a year.
“Governor DeSantis and I have had our differences, but one thing we both wanted to do for years was end the $45 million in aid to illegal immigrants who attend our world-renowned colleges and universities,” said Fine, who supported Trump over DeSantis. in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody — who is considered the favorite for DeSantis to be appointed to the Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, who is being nominated as Trump’s secretary of state — supported DeSantis’ call for a vast bill on immigration.
“Thank you @GovRonDeSantis for ensuring the state was ready to implement @RealDonaldTrump’s immigration priorities on DAY ONE,” she said. job on X.
DeSantis has not publicly announced his choice to fill Rubio’s seat, a decision that must be made before Trump is sworn in, but he has said that person would take a hard line on reform of the so-called visa program H-1B, which has become a subject of much infighting among Trump supporters following his election victory.
Prominent supporters like billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk have said they support the program — which feeds many companies with international talent at a lower cost — while the more populist, anti-immigration part of the base Trump, led by people like conservative pundits Steve Bannon. and Laura Loomer, said they want the program abolished.
After weeks of infighting among MAGA supporters, Trump said in late December that he believed the program was “great.”