WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Governor Ron DeSantis held a news conference Wednesday morning to urge state and local law enforcement agencies to cooperate and support President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration policies, which are anticipated to be announced on day one of his presidency.
During the news conference held in Polk County, DeSantis said the state has an obligation to fully support the federal government with its mission of ending the “illegal immigration crisis once and for all.”
“We gotta be ready, willing and able to assist,” DeSantis said.
Press play above to re-watch the full news conference
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DeSantis, who called the legislature into a special session on the week of Jan. 27, emphasized the need for new laws to enhance law enforcement’s role in helping the federal government.
The governor’s immigration-related proposals include:
- Require law enforcement (municipal, county and state levels) to have maximum participation in any programs to assist the federal government with the enforcement of immigration laws
- Enact criminal penalties for illegal entry under state law
- Appoint a state immigration officer to oversee coordination with federal authorities and Florida’s existing transport and deportation program
- Expand authorities for local and state officials to detain and deport people who entered the country illegally
- Broaden the definition of gang-related activities to include “dangerous” groups of undocumented migrants
- Require voter registration affirmation of U.S. citizenship and Florida residency
- Increase penalties for undocumented migrants who commit voter fraud or provide false voter registration information
- Have money transfer companies impose an ID verification for foreign remittances
- Establish a “rebuttable presumption” that people who enter the country illegally are “flight risks” and deny bail if accused of a crime
DeSantis also expressed his support for a proposed state bill, that would repeal a decade-old law that allows some undocumented immigrant students, known as “Dreamers,” to receive in-state tuition rates at Florida universities and colleges.
“Why would we give that tuition discount to people that are not even in the state legally?” DeSantis said. “So we need to repeal that. We have to put Floridians first.”
On Tuesday, Florida State Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, who’s behind the bill, introduced a new bill that, if passed, would prohibit colleges and universities from accepting applications or admitting undocumented students.
State Bill 244, which Fine informally called “SB 90 2.0,” would apply to a “Florida College System institution or a state university with an acceptance rate less than 85 percent.”
“It will say that any university that has more demand than it has spaces can no longer accept illegal immigrants at all,” Fine said.
Attorney General Ashley Moody, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, and Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Director Dave Kerner joined the governor.
“For the sake of Floridians, for the sake of Americans, we have to get started right now,” Moody said. “The law gives us the ability to help the federal government.”