Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted Florida lawmakers in a fiery press conference Friday, denouncing the state’s recently passed immigration bill as a “betrayal” and vowing to veto it. He accused legislative leaders of weakening immigration enforcement and prioritizing business interests over public safety.
“The legislative leaders didn’t want to do it,” DeSantis said. “They said it was premature. They said that it could wait. And they even said that doing a special session on illegal immigration was a stunt. A stunt? We’ve been waiting four years to be able to address this issue.”
Clash Over Immigration Enforcement
The governor took aim at a provision that transfers immigration enforcement authority from state law enforcement to the Florida Department of Agriculture, calling it a deliberate effort to block deportations.
“They (would) prohibit our state agencies and your local agencies from even talking to ICE without the approval of the Commissioner of Agriculture,” he said. “... Who the hell do they think they are to say they need a mother may I from the commissioner of freaking agriculture?”
DeSantis also criticized the bill for ending Florida’s emergency declaration on immigration, which he said allowed the state to intercept illegal entries.
“They want to shut it just as Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the border,” he said. “They want to shut down Florida’s declaration.”
Targeting Lawmakers in Primaries
Framing the fight as a battle for the soul of the Republican Party, DeSantis warned lawmakers who backed the bill that they could face electoral consequences.
“If you’ve made promises to your constituents that you’re going to be strong on illegal immigration, and you have an opportunity to do it, you need to take that opportunity,” he said. “You can’t say, ‘Well, I wanted to do it, but I was worried I’d get kicked off a committee.’”
He accused lawmakers of caving to business interests that rely on cheap labor, pointing out that the legislature had refused to fund E-Verify in recent years.
“The legislature has refused to fund E-Verify the last two years,” he said. “Imagine why they wouldn’t want to fund E-Verify. They probably have some supporters that don’t want them to do it.”
Florida’s Role in National Immigration Policy
DeSantis highlighted Florida’s cooperation with federal authorities and announced a new memorandum of understanding with the Department of Homeland Security, allowing state troopers to detain undocumented immigrants.
“This is sort of a historic document in the sense that it’s giving state troopers and state law enforcement federal powers to enforce immigration laws,” said Dave Kerner, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “... The moment this bill becomes law, this goes away. You must seek permission through the Commissioner of Agriculture to do that.”
Call to Action
DeSantis urged Floridians to call their legislators and demand stronger immigration enforcement.
“You guys going to do it? Very respectfully. Be nice, because these are good folks,” he said. “Be very respectful, but be very clear about what your expectations are.”
He also challenged lawmakers to send him the bill so he could veto it publicly.
“If this is such good legislation, why have they not sent me the bill yet to act on?” he asked. “And I think the reason is, is because if we get the bill and we do an event where we have a lot of people and I veto the bill in front of this crowd, is the crowd going to cheer or is the crowd going to boo?”
With tensions rising, the fate of the immigration bill remains uncertain. The governor’s threat to veto, coupled with his promise to challenge lawmakers in primaries, has set the stage for a showdown in Florida’s GOP.
