Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday

The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.

Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Speaker of the House, and the Florida Senate President have been collaborating on the bill’s details. They are focusing on ending illegal immigration and aligning with the Trump administration’s deportation program.

This effort comes after Gov. DeSantis threatened to veto a previous bill passed during last month’s special session on the same topic.

The proposed bill will create a State Board of Immigration Enforcement. It will include the Governor, Agriculture Commissioner, Attorney General, and Chief Financial Officer, who must unanimously agree for a decision to become policy.

In the last version of the bill, the Commissioner of Agriculture was named in charge of immigration in Florida. However, Gov. DeSantis said no more to this approach.

The bill allocates $250 million to a grant program that supports local law enforcement in enforcing federal immigration laws. It also provides $1,000 bonuses to police involved in Homeland Security task force operations.

The bill also requires pretrial detention for undocumented immigrants who commit forcible felonies. It also replaces Florida’s Unauthorized Alien Transport Program with a federally directed program.

State-level crimes will be created for immigrants who illegally enter or re-enter Florida.

The bill also expands information-sharing provisions for law enforcement to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in targeting transnational gangs.

During Special Session Tuesday, House Speaker Daniel Perez acknowledged recent political tensions but expressed pride in the House members’ conduct. The motion for a vote was approved unanimously.

“We asserted our right as the elected representatives of the people to have an equal seat at the table, to be a participant in a conversation, rather than a recipient of instructions. Today, we bring that conversation to a close with these bills,” Speaker Perez said.

The Senate President, Ben Albritton, praised President Trump and emphasized the bill’s alignment with Trump’s border security plan.

“”This legislation rigorously implements President Trump’s plan to secure our border, protect our state and national sovereignty, as well as support Florida law enforcement and affirm the federal government’s responsibility over immigration,” Senate President Albritton said.

A House vote is set for noon Thursday, while the Senate will vote at 9 a.m.