TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s push to quickly reform the nation’s immigration system is at the center of a Republican civil war in Florida, with Gov. Ron DeSantis facing off against the GOP-controlled state Legislature.
DeSantis earlier this month invited lawmakers to Tallahassee for a special legislative session with the express purpose of State law alignment With an expected wave of immigration-focused executive orders from Trump.
But Republican leaders in both the House and Senate, who had previously dismissed DeSantis’ plans as “premature,” abruptly ended the special session Monday morning and quickly called it off.
The move effectively killed all legislation already introduced by DeSantis’ allies, and allowed Republican leadership to advance their own immigration proposals, including language that puts the governor in a difficult political position. Legislative leaders’ plan would take immigration oversight away from Desantis and move it to Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a statewide elected official looking to run. governor in 2026 and has had an icy relationship with DeSantis.
Florida State Assembly Speaker Danny Perez said that under their plan, Simpson would be named the state’s “chief immigration official,” a position that does not currently exist. DeSantis also wants to create that position, but he would have kept it under his authority.
“We need a single focus in state government to coordinate immigration,” Perez said. “We need an agency with broader reach in the state, and experience working with the federal government and law enforcement.”
The move backs DeSantis into a corner — and confirms that he does not carry the political influence in the state that he did in the lead-up to his 2024 presidential campaign.
If Republican leaders’ bill passes, as expected, Desantis will either have to sign a bill that effectively runs his ability to coordinate immigration enforcement in the state, or veto a proposal that includes difficult immigration reforms, many of which are his. supports.
Republican leadership faced significant pushback on social media from prominent DeSantis supporters who said their reluctance to follow the governor’s lead indicated they were not in line with Trump’s agenda, which both Perez and Florida Sen. Ben Albritton have done. Their proposals include provisions consistent with Trump’s immigration orders.
It requires state and local law enforcement to work “in tandem” with federal immigration authorities; Requires judges and state attorneys to know a criminal defendant’s immigration status before considering any bail or pretrial release; Provides $500 million to local law enforcement to “fight illegal immigration”; It expands penalties for certain crimes committed by undocumented people.
The proposal would also end in-state tuition rates that currently extend to “Dreamers,” or undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, which DeSantis has pushed publicly. This proposal has been controversial precisely because it was signed into law by the GOV. Rick Scott and Republican lawmakers, including current Gov. Janet Nunes, passed it.
Trump had publicly supported DeSantis shortly after the special session was called.
“Thank you Ron, we hope other governors will follow,” Trump said to publish On social truth.
Perez told NBC News that while Florida legislative leaders talked to the White House and agreed to push Trump’s immigration reform, they didn’t think what Desantis was trying to do was the best direction.
“The American people have astonishingly rejected the policy of open borders, and President Trump is moving decisively to address this crisis,” he said. “There are actions Florida must take now in order to quickly comply with President Trump’s directives.”
“Unfortunately, the governor’s announcement was too narrow to accomplish all the things we need to do to help President Trump,” he added.
Desantis was functionally pushing for changes that would allow state officials to implement many actions currently reserved for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
He wants to significantly expand a program he created, Unauthorized alien transfer programwhich was used in 2023 to fly migrants to destinations in democratically controlled countries. The changes, according to the draft legislation, will be “in accordance with federal law.”
The governor’s reform proposals would also require state and county law enforcement agencies to train local officials to perform federal-like immigration duties, the training to be funded by $350 million in new funding lawmakers were required to approve.
This approach is “too bureaucratic,” Perez said.
“We carefully thought about Governor DeSantis’ proposal, and he had some good ideas,” he said. “But many of his proposals are bureaucratic. We do not need to replicate American immigration functions and customs and create a miniature version of Ice.”
He said the proposals would also “hijack” local law enforcement operations.
