TALLAHASSEE — After a special session late last month spiraled into a clash between Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida lawmakers will meet in another special session this week to pass a package of bills targeting illegal immigration — with DeSantis’ support.
Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, and House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on Monday evening issued a proclamation for a special session that will start Tuesday. They also released summaries of bills that include a series of steps aimed at helping carry out President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
“Over the last several weeks, there has been a great deal of productive discussion on how the state of Florida can best assist President Trump’s efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration, with a particular focus on partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement to arrest, detain, and deport criminal illegal immigrants,” Albritton and Perez said in a joint memo to lawmakers about the newly called special session.
DeSantis issued a statement that described Albritton and Perez as “great partners” and also thanked Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whose role in immigration enforcement became a disputed issue during last month’s special session.
“With the enactment of these policies, Florida will help the Trump administration to deliver on the president’s historic mandate to end illegal immigration,” DeSantis said in the statement. “This is a big win for the people of Florida and demonstrates that we will continue to lead."
The tone Monday evening was far different from two weeks ago, when lawmakers convened in a special session called by DeSantis to take up immigration policy and other issues. Albritton and Perez were clearly irked that DeSantis had called the special session, which they described as premature.
The Republican-controlled House and Senate quickly shut down the DeSantis-called session and convened their own session. Lawmakers ditched DeSantis’ proposals and passed an immigration bill that DeSantis threatened to veto.
But with cracking down on illegal immigration a core issue for Republicans — and perhaps the top priority of Trump — rumors of another special session circulated in recent days.
The House is scheduled to convene at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, while the Senate will convene at 1:15 p.m., according to information posted on their websites. Budget committees in both chambers are expected to take up the bills Wednesday, and the House and Senate will hold floor sessions Thursday.
The bills were filed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, and Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover. Both lawmakers also sponsored the legislation that passed during the special session in late January.
The bill summaries indicate they include boosting criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes; taking steps to increase local law-enforcement agencies’ cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; creating a State Board of Immigration Enforcement made up of the governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general and chief financial officer; and trying to impose a mandatory death penalty for undocumented immigrants who commit murders or rape children.
“Combining important feedback received from Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Simpson with the very strong legislation passed during Special Session B (the late January session), we are building on the technical assistance from the White House to advance and implement strong policies and provide critical resources to support President Trump’s efforts to combat illegal immigration efficiently and effectively,” the memo from Albritton and Perez said.